UNMISS condemns violence among IDPs inside Malakal POCs camp
February 18, 2016 (JUBA) – United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has condemned fighting between members of Dinka and Shilluk ethnic groups inside the Protection of Civilians (POC) site in the Upper Nile state’s capital, Malakal, which has left many people dead and wounded.
“The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has condemned the violence that erupted Wednesday night between Shilluk and Dinka youths in its Protection of Civilians site in Malakal,” partly reads the statement issued on Thursday by UNMISS.
“Violence involving the use of small arms, machetes and other weapons broke out between youths from both communities in the late evening on 17 February,” it says.
The UNMISS statement said preliminary reports indicated that five people were killed and 30 more wounded. Casualties, it said, were brought to the international NGO clinic in the site.
It added that UNMISS police in charge of maintaining order within the protection sites immediately intervened with tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The violence, which UNMISS said started between Dinka and Shilluk later on involved members of the Nuer ethnic group when some of their members were killed by the Dinka fighters, eye witnesses said.
Violence continued on Thursday morning as the mission sounded calls on all communities to refrain from violence, restore calm and resolve differences through dialogue.
“The Mission reminds all concerned, including security forces, of the civilian character of the compound, and the sanctity of UN assets and personnel as well as that of the civilians protected inside the UN compound,” UNMISS further stated.
Although the statement fell short of accusing elements of government forces of involvement in the violence, it said the violence was a war crime.
“Such an attack against civilians and UN premises may constitute a war crime,” the statement said.
UN troops have increased perimeter patrolling while physically securing areas in the vicinity of the Protection of Civilians site. UNMISS is also engaging with local authorities in Malakal to de-escalate the situation.
Officials of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) and leader of the Democratic Change (DC), Lam Akol, condemned as “barbaric and cowardice heinous crime” the violence against the IDPs inside the UNMISS camp.
Brig. Gen. Nyagwal Ajak, spokesperson of Agwelek Forces in SPLA-IO, issued a statement on Thursday, condemning the incident and directly blaming the government and members of the Dinka ethnic group for instigating the violence and using machine guns to shoot at members of Nuer and Shilluk ethnic groups.
He said Nuer shelters inside the UNMISS camp close to Dinka IDPs shelters have all been burnt to ashes by the armed Dinka fighters who entered the camp. He further alleged that Dinka soldiers in the South Sudanese army (SPLA) came to the camp to collect wounded persons from the community.
The peace keeping troops protect 47,791 civilians in Malakal, while 198,440 civilians are currently protected at six UNMISS bases throughout South Sudan.
The mission has however been criticized for not doing enough to protect the civilians under its protection in events of such violence, which sometimes involve elements of government forces shooting at the IDPs in the camps.
VIOLENCE IN WAU STATE
Meanwhile, tension remains high in the newly created Wau state of former Western Bahr el Ghazal state as suspected youth from the Dinka tribe on Thursday allegedly resorted to attacking local residents in Wau town who hail from Fertit ethnic group in the state.
Elias Waya, the newly appointed governor of Wau state, one of the controversial 28 states decreed into being by President Salva Kiir 5 months ago, said elements of the South Sudanese army (SPLA) were behind the instigation of violence in the town, which serves as the new state capital.
“I have about seven days in Juba but I have yesterday received information that some indiscipline SPLA members were behind misbehaving against civilians in Wau,” Wau state governor Elias Waya told Sudan Tribune on Thursday.
“I have again confirmed today that some youth were attacking villages in Wau but we are now as government working hard to control the situation in Wau,” he said.
He said his deputy, Andrea Dominic, was using the police force to put the situation under control so that it did not get out of control.
According to multiple sources from the town, a group of Dinka youth attacked houses, targeting members of the Balanda ethnic group, accusing them of murdering residents from the Dinka ethnic group in “cold blood” in Wau town.
The violence started after military army officers on Wednesday stormed Wau main teaching hospital, collecting some youth from Balanda who were admitted to the hospital with gunshot wounds as a result of last week ambush on the SPLA officers who were travelling from Besillia payam to Wau town.
It remain unclear what prompted the incident but according to the state former security advisor, Wol Dhel Thiep, violence began on Thursday morning after armed men shot dead two young girls on spot.
Eyewitness told Sudan Tribune that heavy gunshots rocked Palata, Jebel Keer, Lokloko and Bazia Jeedid residential areas as state security forces were seen trying to quell down the situation.
“There is a stream of smoke seriously rising in the air from different parts of the town especially in the side of Jebel Keer and Bazia Jedid,” said one eyewitness.
Reports from Wau teaching hospital emerged as the hospital was receiving wounded people as a result of the clashes.
Governor Waya also blamed rebels of attacking the SPLA forces who were deployed around Wau when they came to the town to access goods.
“I have yesterday told the SPLM-IO official members in Juba about the behaviours of their forces in Wau state that they should respect the ceasefire deal,” said Waya.
“Their leaders do tell me that they are standing with peace agreement but the attackers always appeared from the site where the rebels believe staying,” he said.
Wau residents say movement within the town is limited claiming they are being targeted by some youth who are being backed by the government forces.
(ST)