19 December 2014 - Destroying weapons and ammunition was a symbol of moving from war to peace and conflict to stability, a top UNMISS official in the Unity State capital Bentiu said today.

“It would be an assurance for concerned parties that the weapons never be used to commit any acts of violence, including human rights violations,” State Coordinator Officer-in-Charge Norbert Niyodusenga said during an exercise to deactivate weapons recovered in UNMISS Bentiu Protection of Civilian (POC) sites.

The weapons’ destruction would also help ensure the security of people seeking refuge at UNMISS, he said.

The POC site served solely as a safe haven for civilians, including children, women, men and the elderly, as well as ex-combatants, Mr. Niyodusenga said. “A person seeking protection shall not at the same time possess a weapon.”

The weapons had been collected from people arriving at the UNMISS camp since the conflict began in December 2013 and through periodic searches of the sites. They included 79 AK 47 rifles, five pistols, four machine guns and two DSHKs as well as over 1,000 machetes, spears and long knives.

Also attending the deactivation were UNMISS Sector North Commander Brig. Gen. Bayarsaikhan Dashdondog and representatives of the UNMISS Mongolian, Ghanaian and Ethiopian contingents, UN Country Team, Inter-governmental Authority for Development Monitoring and Verification Team, UN Police, and the UN Mine Action Service.

The destruction of weapons in Bentiu was part of an ongoing exercise this month at UNMISS camps in Juba, Malakal and Nasir (Upper Nile), Wau (Western Bahr El-Ghazal) and Bor (Jonglei).