Internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the UN Protection of Civilian (PoC) site in Wau say they do not feel safe returning to their homes after protracted conflict.

During a visit to the PoC site, UNMISS deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General (DSRSG), Moustapha Soumare, said that the UN mission was working closely with the government to deploy the Regional Protection Force (RPF) to advance the safety and security of civilians in the area.

The deputy SRSG added that the first batch of RPF’s had arrived and the rest would come in the next months.   

Soumare urged the displaced persons to have peace in their hearts as “peace cannot come unless we sit and make it happen,” he said. “The peace agreement is not in a way it is supposed to be, we are trying our best to bring the peace process back on track.”

The DSRSG who also met with the Governor of Wau, Andrea Mayar Acho, said it was paramount to bring back and maintain peace in the region to enable the safe return of displaced persons to their homes.

Currently, some 30,000 people are sheltered in the UN PoC site in Wau.