December 12, 2024 03:38 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Donald Trump vows to eliminate birthright citizenship after taking charge | No alliance with Congress in Delhi polls: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal | Bengaluru techie's suicide: Atul Subhash's wife and her family booked | Bengaluru techie's suicide: Atul Subhash's wife and her family booked | INDIA bloc to knock on Supreme Court's doors over alleged EVM manipulation during Maharashtra polls | 'Babri Masjid should be rebuilt in Bengal's Murshidabad': TMC MLA Humayun Kabir sparks row | Rajnath Singh calls on Russian Prez Vladimir Putin in Moscow, discusses bilateral defence cooperation | Police to investigate conspiracy angle in Mumbai bus accident that killed 7 | Mamata Banerjee should lead INDIA bloc: Lalu Prasad Yadav | Opposition moves no-confidence motion against VP Jagdeep Dhankar in RS

South Sudan: UN condemns violence in Malakal civilian protection site

| | Feb 19, 2016, at 02:45 pm
New York, Feb 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the violence that broke out overnight and continued on Thursday in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) civilian protection site in Malakal, in the northeast region of the country, claiming the lives of at least seven internally displaced persons and injuring approximately 40 others so far.

Noting with concern the rising inter-communal tensions between the Dinka and Shilluk that precipitated the incident, the Secretary-General warned all parties against stoking ethnic disputes and called on them to refrain from any actions or statements that could further escalate the situation, according to a statement attributable to his spokesperson.

“The Secretary-General also reminds all concerned, including Government security forces, of the inviolability of the United Nations compounds,” according to the statement. “He underscores in no uncertain terms that any attack directed against civilians, UN premises and peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.”

In the statement, the Secretary-General also urged the leaders of South Sudan to implement without delay the peace agreement reached six months ago, so that the people of South Sudan can begin a process of reconciliation and healing.

Earlier today, UNMISS strongly condemned the violence that erupted last night.

In a press release, UNMISS said that violence involving the use of small arms, machetes and other weapons broke out on Wednesday in the late evening between youths from both communities, and that violence also continued this morning.

“The Mission calls on all communities to refrain from violence, restore calm and resolve differences through dialogue,” UNMISS said.

The Mission said that UNMISS police in charge of maintaining order within the protection sites immediately intervened with tear gas to disperse the crowd. Casualties were brought to the international non-governmental clinic at the site.

UN troops have increased perimeter patrolling while physically securing areas in the vicinity of site, UNMISS said. The Mission is also engaging with local authorities in Malakal to de-escalate the situation.

Stressing that such an attack against civilians and UN premises may constitute a war crime, UNMISS also reminded all concerned, including security forces, of the “civilian character of the compound, and the sanctity of UN assets and personnel, as well as that of the civilians protected inside the UN compound.”

UNMISS protects 47,791 civilians in Malakal, while 198,440 civilians are currently protected at six UNMISS bases throughout South Sudan.

Photo: UNMISS/Nyang Touch

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Related Images
Xi Jinping, Putin in Russia Mar 22, 2023, at 08:26 pm