23 May 2015 – During her visit to Bentiu, UNMISS Chief, Ellen Margrethe Løj, appealed to the Unity State Government for full cooperation with UNMISS and humanitarian agencies to reach vulnerable people in villages.

“Unless we can reach the villages where people are in need, I fear more people will seek assistance at the protection of civilian sites”, the UNMISS SRSG stated while meeting the Unity State Acting Governor and the Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), William Lacy Swing.

She added, “We don’t want South Sudanese living in protection sites; we want them to stay in their communities and villages…I am really appealing for full cooperation of all parts of the government of Unity State to help us deliver our mandate”.

The SRSG stressed the inherent dangers of having people living in crowded camps for prolonged periods of time.

“We all know that when a lot of people are crammed together for a long time tensions among the people can increase, which can lead to conflicts. Nobody wants to see that happen”.

The SRSG also noted that IDPs in the camp prefer to live in their home communities, but with dire need for basic services and being scared for their lives many people reluctantly make their way to the UNMISS protection sites.

“I hope we can have good cooperation between the government of Unity State, the Mission and humanitarian actors. We need to work hand in hand to make the situation better for the boys and girls, men and women of Unity State”, the SRSG said, adding that the UNMISS Force Commander and the SPLA Chief of Staff have had recent discussions in the same vein.

Speaking about the conflict Ms. Løj said, “We need the peace agreement not tomorrow but we needed it yesterday. We need the peace agreement urgently in order to address all other challenges in South Sudan”.

The IOM Director General William Lacy Swing supported the SRSG in requesting access to displaced persons by the governments of Unity State and of South Sudan.

Mr. Swing also requested the government of Unity State to allow access to a conveniently located waste pit so that waste products from the POC site may be disposed of properly and efficiently. Without such facilitated waste disposal, the upcoming rainy season may bring serious health issues to the IPD community.

The acting governor of Unity State, Hon. Peter Gatkuoth Chuol, said that the current situation in Unity State is calm. He assured that the state government is cooperating fully with humanitarian agencies in Bentiu town as they deliver humanitarian assistance to newly arriving IDPs.

“We are engaging with the UN Mission and SPLA forces about anything that happens in the state”, he said, adding that the state government is fully aware of the crucial role of humanitarian actors and hence is committed to fully support their work.

During their visit to Bentiu, the Chief of UNMISS and IOM Director General toured the POC site, including its newly constructed extension, and also visited a medical clinic run by the IOM.