Eastern Bieh state official urges free movement of IDPs to Duk county

April 7, 2016 (BOR) – The deputy governor of South Sudan’s Eastern Bieh state, Taban Juch has urged Police to allow the internally displaced Lou Nuers intending to leave the United Nations protection of civilians’ sites in Bor for Duk county to move freely.

The official was speaking after his office received reports that a woman who previously served in the Police force before the crisis was identified among the IDPs who left Bor for Duk and was eventually detained by security agents.

He identified the detained former Police officer as Nyadak Kutin Riak.

“When they reach Poktap, they [IDPs] were stopped by police, their things offloaded, and inspected,” said Taban.

“She [Riak] is a police woman. If she doesn’t like to work in police, she may come back. She was working in that area that time but she was caught up in the crisis”, he added.

Transportation of IDPs from the UN site in Bor was organised by the Relief and Rehabilitation (RRC) and Solution Working Group, which gave SSP3, 000 for public transport hire. Nearly 200 individuals have been reunified with their families in Duk.

The police, Taban said, have been asked to release the detainee.

“We procedurally wrote to the police commissioner here in Jonglei state and they are the people to release them with a letter informing all the stations that these are IDPs who are going to Padiet,” the deputy governor told reporters.

The RRC’s deputy director, Jok Alier said transportation of IDPs went well with no reports of detention along the way.

“We did not have any incident [of detention], the trips were successful and that is why you now see the number [of IDPs] is growing from time to time”, stressed Alier.

(ST)