Heavy fighting wounds 34 people at Malakal base

21 Jan 2014

Heavy fighting wounds 34 people at Malakal base

20 January 2014 - At least 32 civilians and two UN contractors seeking shelter at the UN base in Malakal, Upper Nile State, were injured today when bullets from nearby fighting landed inside.

The base hospital was also considerably damaged during heavy fighting between pro- and anti-government forces, UNMISS reported, noting that it is protecting 22,000 civilians in Malakal.

The fighting close to the Malakal base stopped late in the day, but continued with small arms fire in other parts of the town.

“The mission once again condemns any fighting taking place nearby its bases and calls on all parties to respect the integrity of UN installations and the safety and security of civilians taking refuge inside the bases and all UN personnel,” UNMISS said in a statement.

Secretary-General ban Ki-moon has already demanded that all parties to the conflict respect the sanctity of UNMISS protection sites.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today that 494,000 people are internally displaced and 86,100 have fled to neighbouring countries.

UNMISS, which the Security Council has ordered reinforced by another 5,500 troops, bringing its total to nearly 14,000, said it has conducted more than 140 patrols in the past 24 hours, including in various locations in the capital, Juba, as well as in Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile states.

On 9 January, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous said it could take up to eight weeks before the full 5,500-strong surge in UN force and equipment, including helicopters, is deployed on the ground.

Once they are there, UN peacekeepers, who currently lack necessary vehicles, will take on “more proactive patrolling around the bases and beyond because, of course, the situation in terms of violation of human rights remains terribly critical”, he said.

Overall, UNMISS is sheltering more than 70,000 civilians who have fled to eight bases since conflict erupted between President Salva Kiir’s forces and those of former deputy president Riek Machar on 15 December.