South Sudan, UN condemn civilian’s death in Juba camp
May 12, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese authorities and United Nations peacekeeping mission hosting hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in its bases in the young war torn country condemned an internal fight among the IDPs which killed at least one person. Government source put the figure higher.
“One person was killed during the violence on Sunday and about 60 more were injured in the disturbances, which triggered the departure of an estimated 3,500 IDPs from the protection sites,” UNMISS said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.
Some IDPs sources blamed the government for infiltrating the camp and inciting violence among the displaced. But others said it was due to an impregnated girl whose brothers and in-laws clashed after failing to settle the matter amicably.
UN body said the violence was caused by a domestic dispute that sparked the fighting, which began in the late afternoon of Friday in PoC site 1. The initial disturbances involved an estimated 350 IDPs from the Unity state counties of Mayom and Mayendit, armed with machetes, sticks and metal bars.
UNMISS military and police peacekeepers initially intervened and managed to contain the violence, but the clashes resumed on the morning of Saturday inside PoC site 3. UNMISS said its personnel again brought the situation under control until the pre-dawn hours of Sunday when fighting again broke out in PoC site 3 involving about 400 IDPs.
Up to 3,500 IDPs were pushed out of the camp and gathered outside PoC site 3 during the course of Sunday, many of whom left the area while under vehicle escort including military vehicles.
UNMISS said it sought assurances from South Sudanese authorities about the safety and well-being of the IDPs who left the mission’s protection sites earlier this week.
But the world body said it was the government that should take responsibility for their protection.
“The primary responsibility for the protection of civilians continues to lie with the government of the Republic of South Sudan,” UNMISS urged in the statement.
It said the mission received a letter from the community leaders of Mayom IDPs asking for the release of their children who have remained inside the mission’s protection sites. UNMISS claimed it responded that “while it continues to provide protection to the IDPs in the POC sites, in line with its mandate, it will not hinder the voluntary movement of any IDPs.
This means UN will not force the family members who remained behind in the camp to leave and join their relatives.
“It is a long-standing policy that all departures from UNMISS protection sites are done so on a strictly voluntary basis, and the Mission does not prevent IDPs from leaving its premises if that is their preference,” the statement said, adding that in the meantime the mission was engaging with community leaders in the Juba PoC sites to defuse the situation and avert a recurrence of the disturbances of this past weekend.
Government officials, including the national deputy minister of information, Rachel Nyadak Paul, visited the IDPs who were forced out of the UNMISS camp on Monday and encouraged them to return to their houses in Juba.
“The UN is unable to settle this and so now we are communicating with those who are inside if they can be able to release the children to those people who have come yesterday,” said Nyadak, speaking to reporters after meeting the IDPs.
“UN is unable to settle this,” she added.
Ateny Wek Ateny, spokesman for president Salva Kiir condemned the in-fighting and called for cooperation from UNMISS to quickly expedite the release of children left behind by their parents and better protection of IDPs still in their bases.
“The UN has failed to cooperate in releasing the children of people who are pushed out of the UNMISS camp,” Ateny claimed in a briefing to reporters on Monday afternoon.
Observers say the internal fighting between the IDPs provided a chance for the government to convinced the people pushed out not to return to the camps.
Thousands of civilians took refuge at UN bases at the onset of the 17-month long conflict after allegedly witnessing indiscriminate killings of their relatives by government forces.
The IDPs in government’s controlled towns of Bor, Juba, Malakal, Wau and Bentiu are mainly from the Nuer, the tribe of rebel leader Riek Machar.
(ST)