Pagak, December 30, 2015 (SSNA) — The military wing of South Sudan’s rebels, SPLA-IO, has called on the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to deploy troops in Unity State to protect internally displaced person (IDPs) and avoid further bloodshed and destructions.
The rebel military command says it commends the works of UN but declares that the UNMISS has not done enough and wants the community of nation to double its effort to save innocent lives and civilian property.
“To avoid further blood sheds and destruction, SPLA -IO is calling on the United Nations Integrated Mission in South Sudan or UNMISS to double its effort and heavily protect the civil population and internal displaced persons(IDPs) who fled fighting from central and southern parts of unity state,” a statement extended to the South Sudan News Agency (SSNA) reads in parts.
This month, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) also known as Doctors Without Borders accused UNMISS of lack of enforcement of the UN-mandated rules and failure to protect civilians in the South Sudan, particularly in the oil-rich Unity State.
“There has been a complete and utter protection failure on Unmiss’ part in southern Unity. There has not been any protection to speak of until now while the violence has been ongoing and there have been thousands of people coming into the sites in Bentiu from southern Unity – those who manage to flee – and they have been telling their stories. It’s not like this is a secret. They [refugees] talk about the most horrendous incidents of sexual violence and I’m sure we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg,” MSF Holland’s deputy operations Director and Manager of MSF activities in the Unity State, Pete Buth, said.
MSF also said UNMISS lacks of action is “shocking” and that the situation in the Leer, the hometown of South Sudanese rebel leader Dr. Riek Machar, was particularly “dire.”
The armed opposition said its forces fully abide by the IGAD-Plus compromise peace agreement and will only fight in self-defense.
South Sudanese houses looted in Kampala after a singer killed
The rebels also condemns Ugandan government for failing to stop its citizens from looting houses of South Sudanese who lives in Kampala’s residential areas of Bwaise and Kawempe.
The South Sudan News Agency was told that a local singer/artist called Cornelius Oloya AKA Master Blaster was shot and killed by an unknown assassin and that Ugandan police falsely accused South Sudanese of carrying out the killing.
The SSNA was also informed that a police officer may have also been kiiled and that one of South Sudanese community leaders was arrested by Ugandan police and his whereabouts is unknown.