United Nation Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Juba on Tuesday on a one-day visit and was received by the UN Special Representative and Head of Mission Hilde F. Johnson.
He also met with President of South Sudan Salva Kiir in his office in Juba.
UNMISS Spokesperson Ariane Quentier explained the visit aimed to follow up on the humanitarian situation in South Sudan such as the one at the UN camp sites in Juba that he visited, as well as the ongoing peace talks in Addis Ababa.
“South Sudan is clearly at a turning point and the conflict is escalating, so the secretary-general is here to speak with the authorities of this country especially with President Salva Kiir to talk about the conflict and the need to put an end to violence,” Quentier said.
Ban visited the UN-protected camp site in Tongping site and met there with community leaders representing thousands of civilians who have sought shelter in the site. They discussed living conditions at the site.
John Mot, one of the displaced living in the camp, welcomed the visit of the UN leader and urged him to work hard to stop the war in South Sudan.
“Most of the civilians in South Sudan are suffering all because of the war and we are happy that Ban Ki-moon came and saw our living conditions in this camp,” he said.
Ban will also reportedly meet with civil society leaders, especially from women’s and religious groups.