The South Sudan Women Empowerment Network (SSWEN) together with several other organizations have lamented “systematic and deliberate” attacks on civilians at UN protection sites in recent days.
SSWEN’s executive director Paleki Obur circlulated a statement yesterday expressing concern about the violence in Juba and the seemingly spreading conflict in the Equatoria region.
“Displaced civilians taking shelter at United Nations protection of civilians sites (PoCs) have been subjected to systematic and deliberate attack and UN peacekeepers have been injured and one confirmed dead during the attacks,” reads the statement.
The statement in the form of an open letter to IGAD, JMEC, the AU Special Envoy to South sudan, the UN Security Souncil and the UN Human Rights Council was signed by SSWEN, Assistance Mission for Africa (AMA), Dialogue and Research Initiative (DRI), Human Rights Development Organization (HURIDO), South Sudan Law Society (SSLS), Foundation for Democratic and Accountable Governance (FODAG) and Solidarity Ministry Africa for Reconciliation and Development (SMARD).
The organizations jointly called on regional and international actors “to take appropriate measures to protect the people of South Sudan, particularly civilians, and more so women and children.”
They also called upon the Human Rights Council and the broader international community to investigate the violent incidents that have been ongoing since 7 July 2016 after armed clashes occurred at Gudele, Juba.
“We recommend that those responsible for the violence be identified, named as soon as possible and brought to justice,” they stated.
“Lastly, we extend our thoughts and sympathies to all innocent civilians currently hiding in bushes, under their beds in their houses and the UNMISS PoC sites.”
Their statement comes after government troops shelled a protection camp in the Jebel area of Juba that is home to roughly 30,000 civilians. A medical clinic at that camp has reported treating 139 wounded patients since Friday.
UN photo: Civilians at a protection site in Juba