UN condemns women IDPs rapes, sexual violence in Juba
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SPLA soldiers walk within families displaced in recent fighting
camping at the Anglican church compound in Juba, July 12, 2016.
(Reuters Photo)
August 2, 2016 (JUBA) – United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)
has condemned rape and sexual violence in the South Sudanese capital,
Juba, adding that it has intensified its patrols in and around the
Protection of Civilians (PoCs) site as well as in the wider Juba city
area, following reports of sexual violence, including rape.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, UNMISS also reportsed that
as an enhanced protection measure, it is working with community
leaders and partners to coordinate the peacekeepers escorts of women
and young girls leaving protection sites to collect food and other
items.
The Mission said it takes very seriously recent allegations that
peacekeepers may not have rendered aid to civilians in distress, and
it is looking into the specific allegations, in line with established
protocols.
“UNMISS has reinforced the message to all peacekeepers that if these
incidents of abuse are committed in areas for which they have
responsibility, they have the individual and joint duty to act, to
prevent harm to innocent civilians,” it said.
The UN condemned unequivocally the actions of sexual violence, and
reminds all combatants and parties to the conflict in South Sudan,
their commanders, and responsible leaders, that the acts of sexual
violence constitute grave violations of international human rights law
and may be regarded as war crimes as well as crimes against humanity.
It blamed government soldiers for the rapes and other forms of sexual
violence in the capital.
ESCALATING FIGHTING
Also the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) said
that fighting has escalated around Juba between forces loyal to
President Salva Kiir and those loyal to former First Vice President,
Riek Machar, saying the situation in South Sudan as a whole has been
getting increasingly tense.
Refugee flows from South Sudan into Uganda have doubled in the past
ten days, according to UNHCR. It said it is helping some 52,000 people
who have fled to Uganda, including an increasing number of severely
malnourished children.
The refugees say armed groups on roads to Uganda were preventing more
people from fleeing South Sudan in anticipation of a renewed conflict
between rebel and government forces. The armed groups were looting
villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and
boys into their ranks.
The WHO (World Health Organization) said that inside South Sudan an
outbreak of cholera had caused 21 deaths by the end of July. Some 586
cases have been reported, with an average of 35 new hospital
admissions per day.
Stephen O’Brien, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), is in South Sudan to visit some of the
affected people and renew his call for funding.
The humanitarian response plan inside South Sudan has asked for almost
$1.3 billion, but it is only 40 per cent funded.
There are 1.61 million internally displaced people inside the country
and another 4.8 million people there are food insecure. Mr. O’Brien is
scheduled to give a press briefing in Juba tomorrow on Wednesday.
(ST)
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