Tens of thousands of people who fled violence during the brutal civil war that raged across South Sudan in 2013 found sanctuary next to the United Nations peacekeeping base in Juba.
Twelve years later, many remain in the camps, as they feel unable to return safely to their original homes and are reliant on humanitarian support.
Now, they are facing a fresh threat with clashes taking place between forces aligned with the two main parties to the Revitalized Peace Agreement in several locations across the country and political tensions soaring in the capital.
“We feel unsafe and need UNMISS patrols to increase. We also need the camps to be securely fenced because, if people move outside, they can meet their deaths,” says camp resident Angelina Nyang Char. “We are not sure who the killers are, but we know they are around us.”
With the signing of the peace deal in 2018, the security situation in South Sudan began to stabilize with the parties largely adhering to the ceasefire.
In 2020, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) began transitioning almost all the displacement sites which had been under formal UN protection since the war into conventional camps under the responsibility of the Government.
However, with fears rising that the peace agreement will collapse and the country relapse into war, UNMISS has had to intensify its presence around and within the camps, patrolling by day and night, to provide additional security.
Rwandan peacekeepers are leading the patrols, which include military and police officers.
“Our mandate is to protect civilians. That’s the main reason why we are patrolling at night. We also want to make the displaced communities feel secure and confident through our presence,” says Rwanda Battalion III commander, Lieutenant Moise Mutuyimana.
The patrols are encountering some challenges, including access denials in some areas. While acknowledging the Government’s right and responsibility to ensure the safety of their own citizens, it is also important for UN peacekeepers to be able to discharge their protection duties.
“We absolutely respect that it is the primary responsibility of the Government to protect its own civilians and acknowledge its efforts in this regard,” says UNMISS Force Commander, Lieutenant-General Mohan Subramanian.
“However, we also have a mandate to provide protection, which is even more important at a time when tensions are high. That’s why we are supplementing the Government’s efforts by patrolling critical areas, including displacement camps.”
As well as maintaining a physical presence, UN Police are engaging with community leaders in the displacement sites to understand and respond to their concerns.
“We have very strong relationships with the communities which have been built up over a long time through constant engagement,” says UNMISS Police Commissioner, Christine Fossen. “We hear their concerns about their safety and their future, and we are actively patrolling, being present in their areas, to help them feel more secure.”
The community appreciates the enhanced efforts to secure the camp.
“UNMISS is always around and responds when we need their presence. They help keep us informed and support our own efforts to keep our camp safe,” says Camp Management Committee Chairperson, Kol Choul Kir.
Protection is only one part of UNMISS’ efforts to help resolve the tensions.
The mission’s leaders are also engaged in high-level political negotiations, alongside regional and international partners, to try and convince the country’s leaders to resolve tensions through dialogue, cease hostilities, return to the peace agreement, and work together to move South Sudan forward towards the better future its people deserve.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
