UNMISS blocked civilians from entering compound for protection: report
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UN peacekeeper keeps watch inside a Protection of Civilians sites, in
Juba as a UN Security Council delegation meets with the IDPs on 3
September 2016 (UNMISS Photo)
October 5, 2016 (JUBA) – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan
(UNMISS) did refuse to allow into its compound for protection fleeing
civilians from the July fighting in the South Sudanese capital, Juba,
and instead used tear gas against them to disperse them, a latest
report has revealed.
A report released on Wednesday by the U.S.-based Center for Civilians
in Conflict (CIVIC) accused the UN peacekeepers in the war-ravaged
nation of failing to carry out their Chapter Seven mandate which was
supposed to protect the civilians, including through the use of force
against the perpetrators of violence.
Currently, over 12,000 U.N. peacekeepers are in South Sudan with more
than 200,000 civilians sheltering in U.N. camps in the capital and
across the country.
The new report, based on interviews with 59 South Sudanese civilians
and 21 officials with the U.N. mission, among others, revealed that
some peacekeepers refused orders to protect civilians during the July
chaos in Juba.
For four days from 8 July, the report narrated, fighting occurred near
the two United Nations bases in Juba, with at least several hundred
rounds hitting the offices and staff accommodation of UNMISS.
“In what has become a devastatingly common refrain in South Sudan, the
parties to the conflict inflicted serious harm on civilians and UNMISS
was unable and, at times, unwilling to respond effectively,” partly
reads the report.
The report said some of the peacekeepers instead fired tear gas on the
fleeing civilians in preventing them from entering their compound for
protection.
It said the UNMISS peacekeepers underperformed to a large extent,
calling for an investigation into their conduct and to hold to account
"units" or "individuals" responsible for the negligence.
The peacekeepers, the report added, also did not respond either to
help aid workers, with many Americans, being raped and looted by
government forces at the nearby Terrain compound, close to the UNMISS
camp.
Chinese peacekeepers at a U.N. camp instead fled from their positions
in response to heavy fighting nearby, leaving behind some weapons and
ammunition. Two Chinese peacekeepers died during the July fighting,
and six others sustained major injuries.
“Outside of the POC sites, civilian men and women also faced serious
threats to their safety and wellbeing. Many civilians tried to flee to
the UN bases only to have fighters block, harass, and even fire on
them. SPLA soldiers conducted house-to-house searches during which
they carried out extensive looting as well as rapes, abductions, and
summary executions, at times targeting civilians on ethnic grounds,”
lamented the report.
In the days and weeks following the crisis, it said the SPLA soldiers
and allied youth militia fighters perpetrated widespread sexual
violence against women and girls who went outside the POC sites in
search of food and other basic necessities.
For almost three years, UNMISS has hosted as many as 200,000
internally displaced persons (IDPs) on its bases, in camps referred to
as Protection of Civilians (POC) sites. In Juba, some 37,000 IDPs
reside in two areas, known as POC1 and POC3, attached to the UN House
base where UNMISS’s civilian and military headquarters are located.
As the violence in Juba unfolded, an additional 5,000 IDPs fled to the
UN base in Tongping, in the heart of the city. In close proximity to
both of these UN bases, the report said government and opposition
forces fired indiscriminately with small arms and artillery fire,
killing at least several dozen civilians in the POC sites alone.
The report recommended, among others, the need for UNMISS to project
greater force and presence to improve protection for civilians,
including outside the POC sites and take a stronger stance in
reasserting the Mission’s freedom of movement, including by not
agreeing to the South Sudanese army (SPLA) restrictions on the type of
vehicles in which the Mission can move.
UNMISS, it said, should also track systematically and report to the UN
Secretariat every Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) violation, in
accordance with Security Council Resolution 2304.
The report also called on the South Sudanese government to cease
obstruction of UNMISS activities and movements and uphold the terms of
SOFA.
It also called on the government to allow the swift and full
deployment of the Regional Protection Force (RPF) authorized by the
Security Council, including the unhindered movement into the country
of all equipment and enablers deemed necessary for the RPF to carry
out its functions.
It also urged the government to provide the land necessary for the
Mission to construct a base or bases for the RPF battalions.
The international community wants a rapid deployment of additional
4,000 troops to Juba to provide security and protection of the
civilians, vulnerable leaderships and vital government installations
including the Juba international airport.
(ST)
The full report is available at :
http://civiliansinconflict.org/uploads/files/publications/CIVIC_-_Juba_Violence_Report_-_October_2016.pdf
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Kind regards,
The Sudan Tribune editorial team.
6 October 11:09, by Midit Mitot
UNMISS came to South Sudan for investment not to protect
civilians, how come the protected forces have refused civilians to
enter during horrible time in Juba, while it,s their mandate? Money
will not free South Sudanese from the hand of those folks leaders
for-good.
repondre message
6 October 16:52, by Redeemer
Midit
You seem to be recovering from Riekracy wishes, Thank you for
agreeing with JCE in the condemnation of Riek’s call for more UN
forces
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