UN deploys peacekeepers after several killed at Malakal IDP camp

JUBA, JUNE 8, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said on Thursday that it has deployed  peacekeepers to Malakal IDP camp after intercommunal violence killed at least fourteen (14) people.

Eyewitnesses told Sudans Post earlier today that the fighting begun on Thursday morning as a continuation of an attack in which a group of Shilluk men attacked and killed a Nuer displaced man before setting him on fire.

While UNMISS put the death toll at 14, other IDPs who spoke to Sudans Post said that the number of the people killed stands at 30.

In its statement, the UN mission said it has deployed troops to the former protection of civilians site in order to provide confidence-building petrol, and said it is engaging community leaders in brining the violence to an end.

“The Mission has deployed reinforced military and police personnel in the area, in close collaboration with State authorities and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), to conduct confidence-building patrols within the Malakal PoC site and along the perimeter,” the UN statement said.

“UNMISS is also engaging with leaders of the various communities in the PoC site, as well as the state government, to restore calm and order,” it added.

The statement further called on “the fighting communities to immediately cease any violence and use dialogue to address any grievances.”