UN calls for calm after deadly clashes in Malakal PoC
May 29, 2023 (MALAKAL) – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is calling for calm at the Malakal Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State following a violent incident on 28 May.
Tensions between communities at a water point erupted resulting in the death of a 32-year-old man and several injuries, UNMISS said on Monday.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, UNMISS urged local leaders to encourage their communities to embrace dialogue and refrain from any violence.
“The mission commends the governor for meeting with local communities to de-escalate the situation. State authorities have deployed the South Sudan National Police Service and South Sudan People’s Defence Forces around the POC site to strengthen security measures,” it reads in part.
Meanwhile UNMISS said it has increased the peacekeepers’ strength at the POC site and is conducting overnight patrols, in addition to working with authorities and communities to decongest the site and reduce tensions.
“To address the needs of vulnerable people, humanitarian organizations have been providing services to internally displaced people, along with providing packages, including vouchers that enable families to return to their areas of origin,” further noted the statement.
The UN mission in the country also committed itself to continue supporting the government and respective communities to reduce tensions and embrace dialogue and the use of justice institutions to resolve grievances.
“While the primary responsibility for protecting civilians lies with the government, the mission is proactively deploying available resources and making every effort to help ensure the safety and security of vulnerable internally displaced communities as well as returnees,” it concluded.
About 67,000 South Sudanese have fled Sudan since conflict erupted in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum on April 15. Numbers of returnees could reach 180,000 by mid-July, according to the UN, threatening to further destabilise the world’s youngest country.
Since the start of the war in Sudan, however, approximately 272,000 people have reportedly escaped into neighbouring countries. Unlike the 126,000 Sudanese seeking refuge in Egypt and the 80,000 who have entered Chad, 90% of those arriving into South Sudan are returnees.
(ST)