Clashes in South Sudan displace tens of thousands: UN

Iran Press TV

Tue Jun 11, 2013 12:38PM GMT

The United Nations Refugee Agency says fighting in South Sudan's Jonglei State has displaced tens of thousands of people.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also said in a Tuesday statement that "In South Sudan, we are working both in Jonglei State and at the national level to advocate for better protection of displaced people."

Clashes between the (South) Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and militants led by David Yau Yau in the eastern state erupted in March.

Last month, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan said due to lack of troops and aircraft, the United Nations peacekeepers in the African country are not able to protect civilians affected by the fighting.

On May 27, Hilde Johnson said in a statement that "We cannot sustain a presence with the logistical capacity that we have, with the problems we have with air transport and by road. So we cannot protect civilians in big, big, big numbers (in Pibor town, in troubled state of Jonglei)."

According to the aid agencies, nearly all of the residents of Pibor town have fled their homes following clashes in the area.

On May 20, at least 24 people including 20 militants and four government troops were killed in clashes between soldiers and the militants in the town.

Meanwhile, South Sudanese soldiers ransacked the stores of the United Nations in the town on May 10.

They also looted a hospital and premises of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and flattened premises of the Italian humanitarian aid organization INTERSOS.

Following the assault, many international aid workers left Pibor over concerns of possible attacks.

In July 2011, South Sudan voted to break away from Sudan following a two-decade civil war that killed about two million people in the East African country. But the new oil-rich nation, which is one of the least-developed countries in the world, has had to confront ethnic tensions and rebellions of its own.

Yau Yau rebelled against the government in Juba after he was defeated in the elections of April 2010. However, he accepted amnesty in June 2011, a month before South Sudan gained independence.

MAM/PR