At least 13 people lose their lives due to intercommunal violence in South Sudan

by time news

2023-06-09 05:34:16

At least 13 people have died and 20 have been injured by intercommunal violence that took place this Thursday near the base of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which is located in the capital of Upper Nile state, Malakal.

The mission has indicated in a statement that violence erupted during the early morning between two displaced communities who take refuge in the UN center for the protection of civilians (Malakal Protection Site). Due to the proximity of the incident to the offices of the international organization, the wounded they have been transferred to a UNMISS hospital, where they are receiving medical treatment.

“During the clashes last week, military and police peacekeeping personnel immediately stepped up their deployment to defuse the situation. Today, shortly after hearing the shotswe have deployed more troops on the ground”, explained the head of the mission in the state of Alto Nile, Aldred Orono. Thus, Orono has indicated that “being next to the peacekeeping forces that regularly patrol the area and interact with communities, we are always vigilant and ready to respond strongly as soon as we receive reports of disturbances.

UNMISS has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, has urged communities to exercise the utmost restraint and is gravely concerned about the loss of life. However, he has remarked that “the main responsibility to protect civilians falls on the Government of this young nation.” “As a peacekeeping mission, our main job is to support the government in ensuring the safety of civilians. The first pillar of protection is prevention, but in South Sudan tensions often erupt in a matter of secondsOrono explained.

In December last year, some 37,032 displaced people were sheltering in the Malakal Protection Site, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) records.

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