Police of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have cracked down on illegal brewing of alcohol inside their Bentiu base, where thousands of civilians are sheltering out of fear of violence.

A search and seizure operation was carried out by the Nepalese Formed Police Unit this week as the camp population swelled owing to fears of a new attack on the town, which has been held by loyalists of President Salva Kiir since 10 January. 

“On 24 February to address security-related concerns at the Bentiu PoC site, a security 
search conducted by UNMISS formed police units (FPU) confiscated 800 litres of illegally 
made alcohol from the area,” the peacekeeping mission disclosed in an update yesterday.   

UNMISS also stated that the number of people seeking shelter at the Bentiu base was 4,523 as of Wednesday. That is about 1,000 more people than were reported the previous day by a UN aid agency, suggesting the camp population continues to swell. 

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated Tuesday, “In Unity State, Bentiu town remained on high alert with fears of a possible attack. Over 1,000 new arrivals sought shelter in the UN base in the town over the past few days. There are currently 3,431 displaced people in the UN base in Bentiu.”

Last week the protected camp area was expanded by the UN Mission, as peacekeepers leveled ground, dug ditches and built berms at the perimeter. Mongolian soldiers and Nepalese police currently defend the base. 

Photo: UN police confiscating ‘illegally made alcohol’ from the refugee camp within the Bentiu base, 24 February 2014 (UNMISS/Anna Adhikari)

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