SOUTH SUDAN: PEACEKEEPERS BOOST SECURITY FOR
CIVILIANS ON UN MISSION'S BASES
Joint
police and military patrols and the use of metal detectors are among the
security steps being taken by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South
Sudan (UNMISS) to protect some 65,000 displaced civilians seeking refuge on its
bases and in the surrounding community.
"An
array of security measures have been put in place," the Mission today
confirmed in a news release. It noted that UN Police Commissioner Fred Yiga is
meeting regularly with South Sudan's Police Inspector General and with the
Central Equatoria Police Commissioner to address all security concerns.
Weapon
searches are being undertaken at all the main bases, which include the capital
Juba, Bor in Jonglei state, Bentiu in Unity state, and Malakal in Upper Nile
state.
United Nations Police (UNPOL) supported by UNMISS military forces are heading the searches,
which include 'combing' the areas with metal detectors. UNPOL and military are
also jointly patrolling inside and in the immediate vicinity of all the sites,
with troops guarding the perimeter.
Fencing,
berms and ditches have been built, and displaced persons coming in and out are
systematically screened and controlled, the Mission said. It is also planning
additional security measures to further strengthen the camp perimeters.
"Another
63 additional UN police personnel arrived yesterday, bringing the total number
of UNPOL reinforcements to 315," according to figures in the UNMISS news
release.
An
additional group is due to arrive next Friday. They will deploy in Formed
Police Units to UNMISS bases in Juba, Malakal and Bentiu.
With
that final group on the ground, the additional "more robust and armed
police units" authorized by the UN Security Council last month will be
completed, the Mission said.
As
requested by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Council in December
unanimously approved a temporary increase in the strength of the UNMISS of up
to 12,500 military and 1,323 police from a current combined strength of some
7,000, through the transfer of units if necessary from other UN forces in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Darfur, Abyei, Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia.
The
congestion of the sites also poses a challenge to the safety of civilians,
UNMISS said. As of yesterday, it has moved hundreds of newly arrived displaced
persons from the UN Tomping compound to the protection site at UN House where
space is still available.
UNMISS
reiterated that it is impartial in the ongoing conflict, and in the
implementation of its mandate to protect all civilians "irrespective of
who they are, where they come from and what their ethnic background is."
The
fighting between anti- and pro-Government forces has continued even as
political talks with the parties in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa seek
to establish a ceasefire. The talks are being held under the patronage of the
Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD).
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