MALAKAL - 23 Feb 2016

Aid boss says situation at Malakal base 'major health risk'

The operations director of a major humanitarian organization in South Sudan says that the situation at the United Nations' Malakal base poses a 'major health risk' to thousands of displaced people after they fled from violence at a Protection Site last week to a more crowded part of the UN base.

John McCue, head of operations for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in South Sudan, told IRIN news that people fear to return to the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site and are living in crowded conditions.

“It’s completely untenable, it’s too small, it’s too crowded… there is nothing that can be done, the priority needs to be on UNMISS showing the population that they are able to provide security within the PoC. It’s the only solution. Otherwise we are looking at a major health risk,” he said.

Although many people are hesitant to go back to the PoC, a few people have already returned, according to IRIN, saying they saw it as a better option than the overcrowded, squalid conditions outside the UNMISS base.

The UN peacekeeping mission said last Friday that its troops had managed to drive out SPLA soldiers from the protection site and secured the perimeter, claiming its forces exchanged fire with attacks. The soldiers had infiltrated the base after ethnic fighting broke out between Shilluk and Dinka youths inside the protection site. At least 18 were killed in the violence.

IRIN, a former UN news outlet that is now independent, also reported that the ethnic Dinka displaced that fled from the Protection Site into Malakal town live in less crowded conditions but amid heavy presence of soldiers.

“Almost all men wear uniforms, weapons slung on their back, pacing the streets,” reads the report published by IRIN yesterday.

Angelina, who used to live in the PoC but fled to Malakal on Thursday, said many people are carrying their belongings from the camp to town “until the government tells us where to go”. IRIN said it does not appear that the Dinka IDPs are preparing to go back to the PoC.