UN Military Police checking for weapons from people seeking shelter in the UNMISS compound in Bor, Jonglei state, South Sudan. [UNMISS]
February 18, 2014 [MALAKAL] — Peacekeepers in the South Sudanese town Malakal today fended off attackers from outside their base while brawls broke out among refuge-seekers inside.
The town came was overrun by opposition forces this morning, the third time it has come under attack by the opposition since the outbreak of the national crisis in mid-December. SPLA acknowledges having lost control over the centre of the town.
Most of the population had already left the city before the attack, while another 21,500 people were sheltering at the base of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
In a press release on Tuesday evening, UNMISS stated that “inter-communal clashes” flared up inside their base simultaneously with the ongoing fighting outside of the base.
The so-called “Protection of Civilians site” within the UNMISS compound also came under fire from gunmen outside. According to the press buy cialis online canada pharmacy statement, the shooting was “contained by UNMISS troops and Formed Police Units, but unfortunately, casualties were later sustained.”
“A total of ten persons died in the UNMISS Hospital from injuries received both outside the compound and from the clashes within the POC area,” the statement reads.
“The fighting outside the compound compelled UNMISS troops to concentrate on protecting the perimeter of the camp from this external threat. Violence then re-erupted in the Protection of Civilians area within the UNMISS compound,” the statement adds.
UNMISS says that firearms were not used in the fighting within the base. The peacekeeping mission did not reveal how many of those who died at the UN hospital today were injured outside compared to the number injured inside.
The United Nations is calling on all parties to fully comply with the Cessation of Hostilities agreement signed last month in Addis Ababa. They are also calling for respect for UN premises, citing their impartial role in protecting civilians.
