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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 16 March 2006

SUDAN: UNHCR probes attack on compound in Yei

NAIROBI, 16 Mar 2006 (IRIN) - The United Nations refugee agency has launched an investigation into an attack on its compound in Yei, south Sudan in which two people, a local guard and one of the attackers, died.

Another guard was shot in the leg, and an expatriate staff member was shot in the abdomen during the attack on Wednesday, said a statement from UNHCR. The two were airlifted Juba Hospital on Thursday and are reported to be in critical condition.

"This is a shocking event, and our hearts and thoughts are with the family of the deceased and with critically ill staff members fighting for their lives," said António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

UNHCR said two people attacked the compound at 8.30 pm local time [1730 GMT], although details of the incident were still sketchy. "An investigation is ongoing to determine the identity of the attackers and the reason for the attack," Helene Caux, a spokeswoman for UNHCR in Geneva, told IRIN on Thursday.

Six other UNHCR international staff members who were in the compound during the attack were safe. One intruder was captured and detained in Yei, the agency said.

"This attack just underscores the difficulties UNHCR faces in our operations in South Sudan, where we are trying to create an environment for thousands of refugees in neighbouring countries to be able to return home and stay home," Guterres said.

UNHCR went into Yei in 2004 to prepare for the return of Sudanese refugees from the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The agency said there were 350,000 refugees from South Sudan in these countries. Some four million more Sudanese are displaced within their country.

A planned repatriation movement from the DRC to the Yei region due to start next week has been suspended while UNHCR reviews the situation.

[ENDS]

This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but May not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2006