The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said Friday it has begun withdrawing its peacekeeping forces from various protection camps in the country.
The UN camps were set up in Juba and other major cities after civil war erupted in 2013, prompting thousands to seek protection. The sites were set up to protect people in imminent physical danger.
David Shearer, the head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), told reporters in Juba that UNMISS has started "to progressively withdraw" its troops and police from Protection of Civilians Sites (POCs) in Bor and Wau towns.
“This process involves two steps. First, as we have done in Wau and Bor, is the withdrawal of our forces from the sites. The second is the re-designation of that site so that it transfers to the sovereign control of South Sudan,” David Shearer said. “When that occurs, the sites are no longer POC sites but camps for internally displaced people under the jurisdiction of the government.”
David Shearer explained that any threats that existed a few years ago, are no longer in existence now.
The UN special envoy underscored that nobody will be pushed out or asked to leave when UNMISS withdraws, pointing out that humanitarian services will continue.
“I want to emphasize those points. It’s just that the sites will no longer be under our jurisdiction but will be, as I said, IDP sites like so many other IDP sites across the country,” he explained.
The senior UN official said South Sudan National Police Service (SSNP) will be responsible for law and order in the Protection of Civilians’ Sites (POCs).
Shearer also hinted at the possibility of redeploying the UN forces who earlier occupied the camps to hotspots like Jonglei where people’s lives are in immediate danger.
“We will be working with all groups, the Nuer, Murle and Dinka, to organize a series of meetings to help resolve these grievances,” said Shearer.
The greater Jonglei region has been plagued by recurring intercommunal tensions involving the Dinka, Nuer and Murle communities. The cycle of violence is often accompanied by cattle raids, child abductions and other forms of revenge-inducing crimes.