UN boosts security and aid in wake of ethnic violence in South Sudan
UN boosts security and aid in wake of ethnic violence in South Sudan
UNMISS Force Commander Moses Obi (left) talking to displaced people in Pibor, South Sudan
…
United Nations, New York, 5 January 2011 – The United Nations is stepping up its peacekeeping presence in the troubled South Sudanese state of Jonglei in the wake of recent inter-ethnic violence that has displaced tens of thousands of people and killed an unknown number of others.
Kouider Zerrouk, a spokesperson for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), told UN Radio today that the mission is “beefing up” its presence across Jonglei to support the national Government’s efforts to restore security and protect civilians.
…
The United Nations is stepping up its peacekeeping presence in the troubled South Sudanese state of Jonglei in the wake of recent inter-ethnic violence that has displaced tens of thousands of people and killed an unknown number of others.Kouider Zerrouk, a spokesperson for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), told UN Radio today that the mission is “beefing up” its presence across Jonglei to support the national Government’s efforts to restore security and protect civilians.
Last weekend a column of about 6,000 armed youths from the Luo Nuer tribe attacked the town of Pibor, where there is a concentrated Murle population, as part of ongoing clashes between the two communities related mainly to cattle rustling and grazing land. Most residents had fled the town before the attack, seeking refuge in the bush.
Mr. Zerrouk said calm had now returned to Pibor, with many internally displaced persons (IDPs) having returned by today and the Luo Nuer youths moving away. UNMISS is conducting daily land and air patrols to deter further violence.
“We are monitoring the situation to make sure that these youth are going towards their locations and not coming back,” he said, adding that the mission was working closely with UN aid agencies to provide humanitarian assistance to the civilians in the area.
Agod Korok, a Pibor resident, said she became separated from her three children during the attack, and does not know whether they are alive or dead. She has sought temporary shelter at a centre for survivors in Pibor.
“We are in need of food because we have to survive,” she said. “We don’t know about our other brothers, whether they are still surviving in the bush or not.”
UNMISS already has peacekeepers deployed in Pibor, but Mr. Zerrouk said “we are also beefing up our presence in Jonglei state. We are also providing the necessary support to the SPLA [Sudan People’s Liberation Army] and to the Government, particularly to airlift and transport around 800 police to the region, who will be there deployed to monitor the security situation.”
He added that in the coming days a humanitarian assessment mission is planned to the affected area. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been rushing emergency food rations to Pibor and nearby areas this week.
###
About United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Fighting hunger worldwide
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.
“In emergencies, we get food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After the cause of an emergency has passed, we use food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives.”
WFP is part of the United Nations system and is voluntarily funded.
Born in 1961, WFP pursues a vision of the world in which every man, woman and child has access at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. We work towards that vision with our sister UN agencies in Rome — the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) — as well as other government, UN and NGO partners.
In 2011 we aim to reach more than 90 million people with food assistance in more than 70 countries. Around 10,000 people work for the organization, most of them in remote areas, directly serving the hungry poor.
WFP’s five objectives:
- Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies
- Prepare for emergencies
- Restore and rebuild lives after emergencies
- Reduce chronic hunger and undernutrition everywhere
- Strengthen the capacity of countries to reduce hunger
WFP’s Mission statement
WFP is the food aid arm of the United Nations system. Food aid is one of the many instruments that can help to promote food security, which is defined as access of all people at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. ¹ The policies governing the use of World Food Programme food aid must be oriented towards the objective of eradicating hunger and poverty. The ultimate objective of food aid should be the elimination of the need for food aid.
Targeted interventions are needed to help to improve the lives of the poorest people – people who, either permanently or during crisis periods, are unable to produce enough food or do not have the resources to otherwise obtain the food that they and their households require for active and healthy lives.
Consistent with its mandate, which also reflects the principle of universality, WFP will continue to:
- use food aid to support economic and social development;
- meet refugee and other emergency food needs, and the associated logistics support; and
- promote world food security in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations and FAO.
The core policies and strategies that govern WFP activities are to provide food aid:
- to save lives in refugee and other emergency situations;
- to improve the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people at critical times in their lives; and
- to help build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities, particularly through labour-intensive works programmes.
###
> United Nations (UN).
The United Nations was established on 24 October 1945 by 51 countries committed to preserving peace through international cooperation and collective security. Today, nearly every nation in the world belongs to the UN: membership totals 192 countries.
When States become Members of the United Nations, they agree to accept the obligations of the UN Charter, an international treaty that sets out basic principles of international relations. According to the Charter, the UN has four purposes:
- to maintain international peace and security;
- to develop friendly relations among nations;
- to cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights;
- and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.
###
* The above story is adapted from materials provided by United Nations (UN)
** More information at United Nations (UN)
