IDPs accuse police, military of looting outside UN compound
December 20, 2014 (KAMPALA) – Internally displaced South Sudanese sheltering at the UN house in Jebel have accused authorities in the area of looting civilian properties outside the camp.
A heavy contingent of military and police have been deployed in the area prior to the one-year anniversary of the conflict on 15 December.
Lang Diar Hoth, chairman of the youth forum for internally displaced people (IDPs) told Sudan Tribune that more than 10,000 South Sudanese pounds (SSP) were stolen by the army deployed at the site.
He said, the money was collected from 10 people nine men as they tried to cross from POC 1 to POC 3 in the UN camp.
“We are receiving a lot of threats from these police and we could not know the reason why they are deployed around the UN house,” Hoth said.
In interviews conducted by Sudan Tribune by phone from Juba, many IDPs said they had also been prevented from conducting prayer services to commemorate the victims of the war.
Gatkoi Wan, who is a resident at the UN camp, told Sudan Tribune on Saturday that many people felt intimidated by the heavy police and military presence, who he accuses of ransacking property near the UN compound.
“We are not happy about [the] deployment of such heavy police forces and armed groups around the area,” he said.
“Already these groups have begun robbing civilian properties just at the UN gates and we are not aware about their staying around here,” he added.
Almost two million South Sudanese have been displaced since the conflict broke out following an internal dispute within the country’s ruling party (SPLM), with tens of thousands of people taking shelter at various UN sites.
Wan urged the United Nation Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to clearly explain the presence of the police and military contingent in the area around the camp.
IDPs are calling on the United Nations and international community to remain on high alert given the presence of the heavily armed groups around the camp, saying some may have been involved in ethnic killings that occurred at the height of the conflict.
One UN aid worker who spoke on condition of anonymity has confirmed the presence of the South Sudanese army (SPLA) and police around the UN compound.
However, he told Sudan Tribune, he was unable to comment on the reasons behind the deployment, adding that the UNMISS leadership may also be unaware.
It’s estimated that 100,000 people are sheltering inside the UN facilities across the country, while many more have fled to neighbouring countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Sudan.
(ST)