“United Nations peacekeepers patrol in the camp for displaced people inside the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound in Malakal, Upper Nile State, which is currently held by anti-government forces, March 4, 2014.” Photo: Andreea Campeanu/Reuters
Juba, May 7, 2017 (SSNA) — The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has deployed peacekeepers to Upper Nile’s Aburoc to help enable the delivery of humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of people who fled their homes due to ongoing civil war, UN Mission in South Sudan said today.
UNMISS’s chief, David Shearer, said in a statement that the deployment is temporary, saying UN troops are mandated to “secure the base from where humanitarians are providing water and other assistance.”
“The aim is to provide humanitarian groups with the confidence they need to resume the provision of urgent assistance to tens of thousands of people in Aburoc who are fleeing the ongoing violence. This short-term deployment is a response to an immediate need and will provide a light and temporary peacekeeping footprint in the area,” Shearer said in a statement.
Shearer warns of possibility of an outbreak of diarrhea or cholera if safe water not delivery to up to 50,000 vulnerable civilians living in and around Aburoc.
“Without a secure supply of clean water, there is a risk of an outbreak of diarrhea or even cholera which has the potential to kill thousands of vulnerable people. It is vital that our humanitarian partners are able to get this water and other aid through to alleviate the suffering,” he said.
Shearer disclosed that UN Mine Action Service is in the affected area to check the main road between Kodok and Aburoc for old landmines. He also said UN is considering providing protection for trucks delivering water.
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To starve civilians by blocking food delivery, is a crime against humanity. It is equivalent to killing them indirectly.
I as a South Sudanese,would like to appreciate the efforts of assistance the UN and any other humanitarian organization, are offering to our really suffering people.