December 4th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – The United Nations (UN) has urged for end to the ongoing inter-communal violence in South Sudan and to attacks against aid workers which has been surging in recent days in the war-torn country.
The world mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, said on Tuesday that it has deployed 75 Nepalese troops serving peace-keeping role in the mission to Maper following reports that as many as 79 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a series of communal clashes and revenge attacks between the Gak and Manuer communities.
The UNMISS said in the statement yesterday that “while political violence has largely subsided in South Sudan since the signing of a revitalized peace agreement in September 2018, inter-communal clashes continue to result in the killing and injuring of civilians, cattle raiding and the looting of property.”
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS David Shearer said urged end to the tribal violence and attacks against aid workers which has been an alarming catastrophe in recent days.
“This fighting must stop,” Shearer said. “We are urging the communities involved and their leaders to put an end to the violence and to come together in reconciliation and peace for the good of their people.”
The UN said in a statement today that the “peacekeepers will continue to patrol the area in the coming weeks to provide a protective presence.”
“They were flown into Maper by helicopter as the main route was impassable due to heavy rains. UNMISS is also flying in heavy equipment, including vehicles, so that they can travel between remote communities.”
Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency, has called for greater protection for aid workers in South Sudan following a “senseless” attack against an international relief agency compound this past weekend. Armed men broke into the NGO’s compound in Bunj, Upper Nile, early on Sunday morning, and assaulted and robbed staff.
“UNHCR strongly condemns this senseless act against aid workers who were there to improve the lives of refugees and vulnerable South Sudanese nationals,” UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told journalists in Geneva on Tuesday.
The agency said attacks against aid workers in South Sudan have increased in recent months, noting that this latest incident occurred only a month after the killing of three UN staff working in the Central Equatoria region.
