The UN mission in South Sudan (Minuss) announced Tuesday that it has sent troops to Maper in the center of the country to prevent further violence, which has reportedly killed 79 people.
« Seventy-five UN peacekeepers have been temporarily redeployed from Rumbek to Maper to prevent further violence between communities in the Northern Lakes region, » Minuss said in a statement.
This deployment of Nepalese soldiers comes after local authorities announced that « up to 79 people were killed and 101 wounded in a series of community clashes and reprisal attacks between the Gak and Manuer communities, about 100 km away. north of Rumbek, « added the mission.
We urge the communities concerned and their leaders to end the violence and to come together in reconciliation and peace, for the good of their people
South Sudan sank into civil war in December 2013, two years after its independence from Sudan.
The conflict, marked by atrocities and the use of rape as a weapon of war, killed more than 380,000 people dead and forced more than four million southern Sudanese, or nearly one third of the population, from their homes.
A peace agreement reached in September 2018 led to a sharp decline in fighting. But rebel groups that are not signatories to the agreement are still fighting the government in the south of the country and elsewhere, community violence is still ongoing.
UN envoy to South Sudan David Shearer called for calm. « We urge the communities concerned and their leaders to put an end to the violence and to come together in reconciliation and peace for the good of their people, » he said in the statement.
Minuss said it failed to dispatch its troops to Maper by road, due to heavy rains, and had to resort to helicopters.
It also plans to send « heavy equipment, including vehicles, » to enable peacekeepers to move more easily between isolated communities. «
« Troops will continue to patrol the area in the coming weeks to provide a protective presence, » she added.
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