December 23, 2024 05:47 am (IST)
Follow us:
South Sudan: UN reports fighters restricting movement
New York, May 2 (IBNS): United Nations peacekeepers in South Sudan reported on Thursday that opposition forces are occupying Lich University, located in the central part of the country, and that said harassment and detention of UN staff was preventing the Mission from carrying out its activities.
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) “has raised this issue with opposition authorities, reminding them that the use of educational institutions for military purposes is a violation of international humanitarian law,” a UN spokesperson confirmed to journalists in New York.
He added that peacekeepers also continued to report violations to the UN status of forces agreement (SOFA) with South Sudan in the form of harassment and detention, as well as restrictions on movement in various parts of the country.
“The Mission calls on all parties to respect the lifesaving work of the United Nations,” the spokesperson noted.
Meanwhile, in Bor, Jonglei state, UNMISS reported on Wednesday that firing in the vicinity of its compound, apparently a case of friendly fire between the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and Auxiliary Police.
As a result of the firing, some internally displaced persons fled into the adjoining UNMISS Compound. The Mission is currently protecting some 4,800 displaced persons at that base.
“UN peacekeepers calmed the situation, and also provided medical treatment to one displaced person who was wounded in the crossfire,” the spokesperson said.
There were also reports of fighting on Wednesday between Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and Opposition forces in Panyagor and Wanyar Payam, also in Jonglei State.
Over the past two months, thousands of people are believed to have been killed by fighting that began in mid-December 2013 as a political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy president, Riek Machar.
Visiting the country earlier this week, High Commissioner for Human Righs Navi Pillay and Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng warned that South Sudan is on the verge of catastrophe, and urged the two leaders to relinquish their “personal power struggle” and steer their impoverished, war-battered country towards stability.
Pillay and Dieng are expected to brief the Security Council on their visit.
(A makeshift primary school for students at the UNMISS displaced persons camp in Bor, Jonglei state, South Sudan. Photo: UNMISS/Mihad Abdalla)
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.
Latest Headlines
Brazil: 10 die after small plane crashes in Gramado
Sun, Dec 22 2024
Elon Musk calls for German Chancellor Scholz’s resignation amid deadly attack at Christmas market
Sun, Dec 22 2024
‘Won’t let fall into wrong hands’: Trump threatens to retake Panama Canal amid growing Chinese influence in Panama
Sun, Dec 22 2024
French court convicts eight people for their role in teacher's beheading in Paris suburb
Sat, Dec 21 2024
House of Lords: British PM Keir Starmer nominates Indian-origin Krish Raval for new political peerage
Sat, Dec 21 2024