South Sudan’s government has announced a plan to shut down the UN protection sites in the capital Juba where tens of thousands of Nuer civilians have sheltered from the ongoing fighting in the country.
Northern Liech Minister of Information Lam Tungwar told Radio Tamazuj yesterday that the UN protection camps in Juba will be shut down and that the displaced people from the Nuer tribe will be relocated by the national government to their areas of origin in Upper Nile, Jonglei and Unity States.
He claimed that about 1,400 displaced citizens mostly women and children have already arrived in Rubkona area. The local official added that hundreds of displaced people from Bieh and Pangak states were also relocated to their areas of origin.
“About 1,400 people from the PoC in Juba have arrived in Rubkona, and about 780 people from the Lou Nuer have also arrived in Bieh State, also over 480 people went to Pangak State. So people want to return back to their areas because they are suffering inside the UN camps,” said Tungwar.
Tungwar pointed out that the internally displaced persons who were relocated to their areas of origin are part of the peace process, besides their complaints about poor conditions in the UN camps.
He noted that the national government will continue to relocate all the conflict-displaced people in Juba to their areas of origin and close the UN camps in capital.
Last year, South Sudan government rejected a plan by the United Nations to relocate over 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from various civilian protection sites to their places of choice, including villages and towns in the rebel-held areas across the country.