What is Government Programme toward Citizens who Stranded in UNMISS Camps

By Lual Magok,

Opinion

May 20, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — When you look at the situation of the south Sudanese citizens who are still living under harsh and inhuman condition at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan premises within their country of origin. You quickly notice that, the Government of South Sudan has very great and enormous challenges ahead of them. Especially when you can learnt that over 100,000 citizens are living in that hardship condition simply because of fear of their lives in their houses.

Those indicators can cultivate in your mind and heart without asking that, the government of south Sudan has great disastrous crisis or timing bomb which will put the whole today government at very great risk when this timing bomb exploded anytime . The today government has overall responsibility to protect the same helpless citizens and their properties as stated in the country constitution. The government is accountable for any potential risk which this helpless population may be exposed to anytime due to that harsh and inhumane living condition in the UN MISS camps throughout the country.

The government of south Sudan will remain the primary duty bearer to all citizens who did not crossed any recognized international borders in line with international humanitarian law. Though much discussion with people in the country shown that, government has allow individual politicians and military officers who are mandated by law to compromise the security of the same people who should be protected by the same law and constitution of the country because their personal interest.

The Government of South Sudan has moral obligation to ensure that, those citizens who need special protection from all form of harm either from organized criminals or individual should be accorded to them as stated in the country law.

The recent informal discussion with some people living UNMISS Camps on the reason why people over stayed in the UNMISS Camps mainly in Juba has shown that, most of the people who current living in the UNMISS premises in Juba.

The 80% of those who are living in UNMISS have their own houses in Juba and outskirt of the Juba town. Those people have experienced much death before them during the recent crisis in the Capital of Juba.

The 10% of the people living in the UN Premises are SPLA or other organized forces who ran to UNMISS for their lives as a result of the recent crisis in juba and they did not managed to reported to their unit as requested by the Government because of fear of being executed or jailed as the deserters in their respective units.

The 10% of the people should Universities and others institutions students who ran from their hostels and their respective accommodations for their lives in the UNMISS based upon the circulation of the information that Nuer are being targeted in the town based on their ethnicities.

The recent outbreak of cholera in Juba and given the poor hygiene, poor housing and lack of meaningful nutrition in the most UNMISS camps which are overcrowded can easily exposed these helpless people to potential risk which can resulted into great losses of innocent lives from preventable diseases .

There   has been also indicators that , some of the houses which belong to those citizens who ran to UNMISS in aftermath of the crisis in Juba are being either looted , destroyed or occupied by other people who just entered by forces . Though some people within UNMISS usual come out during the day time due to improvement of security to Juba town, when they crosscheck their houses and found that , their houses are looted , destroyed or even occupied by new people.

They will just return UNMISS premises and prepare them selves for long stay and forced themselves to that hardship condition because of eight important reasons

1. They assumed that, those who occupied their houses are military personal who can harm them in case they want to approach them
2. They assumed that government has knowledge of the new people who occupied their houses by forces and even if they open cases nobody will listen to them
3. They assume that, existing government is not for them and they don’t know where to raise their concern
4. For those whose house are looted they have no job and no money to buy new house furniture’s
5. For those who houses are broken they have no job and no money to renovate the houses and buy furniture’s.
6. For the military personal and other organized forces they fear for being considered as deserters which can led to execution and long time imprisonment
7. For the student in universities they fear their safety in the hostels and those who support them during the studies are forced to jobless and will have no school fees and feeding allowance.
8. The politicians from Nuer community who ask the IDPs to return to their houses in Juba are still living in hotels and cannot managed to return to their houses due to fear of being attack.

The question is what is the Government of South Sudan programme toward such helpless citizens whose fat in the hand of the constitution and law of this country?

Based on my recent informal discussion and assessment with people living in UNMISS Camps , the following solution may ease the tension and rescue those innocent lives from any potential risk they may be exposed to due harsh and inhuman living condition in UNMISS premises across the country.

1. The government should form the losses investigation committee with representative from the IDPs, Police , MI , National Security with representative from UNMISS civil affairs to assess the losses incurred during the crisis.
2. The Government through losses investigation committee should immediately evict those who occupied houses of the IDPs in all residential areas in Juba .
3. The president should issue decree to pardon and give amnesty to all Military Officers, soldiers and personnel from all organized forces who are living in UNMISS premises and direct the Ministry of defense to pay them their salary and allow them to rejoin their unit.
4. The Government should joint community police comprise of representative from IDPS and residential community leaders to supervise the reintegration of the IDPs .
5. The Government should form mobile joint patrolling forces comprises of police, security , Mi , Military Police , United Nation Police and UN military police to respond to call from community under any threat.
6. The government should establish police posts in all residential areas and should be provide with all necessary support to carry out their job as required.
7. The government should compensate those whose houses were looted, destroyed and occupied in line with report from the losses investigation committee
8. The government should establish special court for recent crisis problem to quickly resolve all legal implications with representative from UN Civil affairs
9. The government should rent hostels for the university students who are currently in UNMISS Premises and provide them with tuition and feeding allowance for six months period.
10. The Government senior officials and politicians from Nuer should start as example to return to their houses before asking the IDPs to return their own houses.

Though these afore-mentioned proposed solutions may not completely resolve the IDPs grievance , it can be starting point and foundation for the confident building measures between the Government and the IDPs who are currently forced to accept the harsh and inhuman living condition due to fear and lack of government program to respond to their concerns and problem that prevent them to return to their houses and contribute to the country development as citizens of this country.

The assessment is very informal and may not reflect all challenges and condition that may resulted into reintegration of the IDPS to human and dignify  lives as citizens of this country.

The writer is concern south Sudanese and Master of International Relations and Diplomacy Researchers and can be reach via lualmagok@yahoo.com