The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has announced that it will close the Tongping protection site in Juba in May, after making plans to relocate the site’s residents to other locations.
“Operations to move civilians from UNMISS Tomping to UN House protection site continue, and will be scaled up significantly in the coming weeks,” the mission stated in a written update on Wednesday.
Although the peacekeeping mission cited flood risk and sanitation concerns as justification for this decision, these are also factors at the UN House base.
Explaining the decision, the UN said the Tongping site is “not suitable for long-term occupation due to its low-lying location and associated risks of flooding and outbreaks of water-borne diseases during the rainy season.”
In a first phase, 3,000 civilians will be relocated to the extension of UN House protection site within UNMISS compound.
Remaining civilians will be moved when the new protection site is ready sometime later this month. The new site is adjacent to UNMISS UN House compound and currently under construction.
UNMISS says the civilians are “free to relocate voluntarily wherever they feel safe,” but the mission does not explain what it will do with civilians who may refuse to move before May.
The mission refers to “sensitization campaigns with community leaders and civilians” taking place within the Tongping camp.
“The objective is to inform and facilitate the decision of displaced persons to move to UN House protection site, where they will enjoy the same level of protection with enhanced basic services,” states the update.
According to UNMISS, there are now 21,000 people living in the Tongping site. Most of them are ethnic Nuers from now abandoned neighborhoods of Juba, such as Mangaten and Mia Saba.
Photo: Displaced people living in UN base Juba Tongping volunteer with garbage collection, 9 January 2014 (Radio Tamazuj)