The United Nations has accused the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) of targeting humanitarian agency staff during the raging fighting between rival forces in Juba.
‘The Mission has (further) received highly disturbing reports of targeting of UN and international non-governmental organization (NGO) personnel, premises and assets in Juba allegedly by SPLA soldiers, during the recent fighting,” the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General,” Stéphane Dujarric, said at the UN Headquarters in New York.
He also noted that the reports include allegations of a killing of at least one South Sudanese national working for an international NGO, as well as rapes, including of an International NGO staff. UN staff members have also been assaulted.
“We condemn in the strongest terms possible these attacks; we call on the national authorities to investigate these serious allegations immediately and thoroughly and bring the perpetrators to justice,” Mr Dujarric added.
Meanwhile, Dujarric says the United Nations Mission to South Sudan (UNMISS), has said the situation in Juba is calm but tense with heavy SPLA military presence. The Mission also reported that its peacekeepers continue to undertake limited patrols.
Currently, the Mission is protecting some 33,000 internally displaced persons in Juba, most of who are sheltering in the ‘protection of civilian’ sites adjacent to the UN House. The Mission will also start conducting search operations in these sites for weapons. Two peacekeepers injured in the fighting have also been medically evacuated today.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also reported that three days into the tenuous ceasefire in Juba, many people have begun to return to their homes. However, thousands remain displaced, including at the UNMISS Tomping base, the UN House and the WFP compound.
“The relative calm has provided a window of opportunity for humanitarian organizations to respond, and now we have visited all areas where people were reportedly displaced,” Dujarric said.
Humanitarian partners are closely monitoring the evolving situation in several locations across the country, including Yei, Wau and Leer.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners are also providing urgent life-saving assistance to thousands of people displaced by the heavy fighting.
“The people hit hardest by this fighting are struggling to cope in appalling conditions,” said Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan. “They are desperate for water, food and in need of medical assistance.”
Primary health care kits as well as recreational items for children will be distributed today. Yesterday, four trucks of supplies, including the treatment of malnutrition as well as sanitation items such as water containers and soap, were dispatched from UNICEF warehouses and taken to a UN displacement site in Juba as soon as movement became possible in the city. High-energy food bars were also distributed in two churches where families have gathered.
Teams from UNICEF and partners are also working to assess the extent of humanitarian needs and have begun family tracing for children who became separated from their parents as families fled the fighting.
