The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) boss Nicholas Haysom said UNMISS will continue supporting the people of Western Bahr el Ghazal state.

Haysom addressed the press on Tuesday in Wau town after meeting with state government officials upon his arrival there.

“I just had a very useful meeting with the government of Western Bahr el Ghazal. I explained to them that it is important for UNMISS to leave the compound and to come to Wau and to see how people live and the challenges that they are facing in their everyday life,” he said.

The UNMISS boss further said they discussed areas of cooperation with a special focus on peace implementation and humanitarian assistance. 

“We discussed how it could be possible for the UNMISS and the international community could continue supporting the communities in Western Bahr el Ghazal,” he added. 

Kamil Wana Oraj, the state Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies welcomed the new UNMISS boss and assured him of their cooperation. 

“We sat in a short meeting and we heard from him, we have jotted down some problems which need to be addressed so that our work could go smoothly in the state under one umbrella of peace and we are expecting more to be done,” said Kamil.

This is Haysom's first visit to Wau since he took on his new assignment last month.