A group of more than 2000 people displaced by violence in Bor have arrived to Juba since Thursday, including a huge number of unaccompanied children. A UN commander in Bor said fighting was ongoing on Friday between Nuer militia and SPLA forces 35 to 40 kilometer south of Bor on the road to Juba.
Allison Barnaba, Director for Emergency Response in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, said that about 2200 displaced people arrived from Bor to Juba since Thursday, most of them children traveling without their parents.
They are staying at the Islamic Centre in east Konyo Konyo in Juba, where they have been provided some food by the Islamic Centre and the Sudanese government.
“The humanitarian situation is not adequate and the food is little,” he told Radio Tamazuj, adding that the exact number of new arrivals would be determined after registration finished this afternoon.
The commander of UNMISS in Jonglei, Mike Chadwick, said on Friday afternoon that 35 to 40 kilometer south of Bor clashes were ongoing between what he called a ‘white army’ and the SPLA. The white army is a group of young Nuer fighters who normally go around with their cattle.
The South Sudan government alleged that the ‘white army’ includes child fighters between 12 and 15 years old. Army spokesman Philip Aguer announced the army captured several of them.
The UN commander also said flights to Bor were disrupted, but some helicopters were still able to land. He said there are still 9,000 to 10,000 people in the UN base. The SPLA general Malual Ayom said his troops were approaching Bor fast and should take possession of the town before Saturday morning, others just having arrived in Juba after fleeing Bor said that the Nuer militia are disrupting the SPLA reinforcement on the way between Juba and Bor.
Photo: Children at the Islamic Center in Konyo Konyo Market, Juba, 3 January 2014 (Radio Tamazuj)