United Nations peacekeepers have been unable to send patrols to a South Sudanese town that has been experiencing a wave of violence, preventing the UN mission from corroborating reports of atrocities, according to a spokesperson of the mission.
The UN Mission in South Sudan Acting Spokesperson Shantal Persaud said Tuesday that it has received reports of a deteriorating security situation in Yei, where allegedly government forces have been arresting civilians suspected of supporting the SPLA-IO, and where dead bodies have turned up in Yei River.
Yei is one of the towns in the Equatoria region where UNMISS has had little or no presence, though it is located only a few hours drive or a half day drive from Juba where there are thousands of UN troops.
“The mission has made numerous attempts to instigate patrols in support of its mandate, and to corroborate the reports on the ground, but continue to face freedom of movement restrictions by being impeded from conducting any patrols into the area,” Shantal said.
She added that the communication networks have been down since 28 August, further hampering the mission’s ability to verify information on attacks against civilians, and security related incidents.
The acting mission spokesperson pointed out that the peacekeepers are looking to launch new attempts to carry out patrols but did not say when. Many civilians have been fleeing Yei and surrounding villages and heading to Ugandan refugee camps for safety.
Photo: UNMISS Chinese peacekeepers patrolling the areas surrounding the Protection of Civilian sites at UN House, Juba (Credit: UNMISS website)
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