Upper Nile– This week’s visit by Anita Kiki Gbeho, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), to Malakal underscored a simple but essential truth: UN Peacekeeping is ultimately about the communities we serve.
It was an action-packed two days. From meetings with the caretaker governor and the inauguration of a new police station in Hai Luakat, to a visit to Hai Matar and engagements with humanitarian partners and UNMISS staff, SRSG Gbeho focused on a broad picture of the challenges facing Upper Nile State and the progress being made.
“Our main objective for this visit is to listen. Not about affected communities but from them,” she explained upon arrival.
The SRSG prioritized meeting community members, such as Tereza Nyagak, who moved from the former UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) site to the Hai Matar settlement area. Tereza and other residents were eager to share their experiences of rebuilding their lives.
“I was the first one to settle here with my family and I have no regrets. Of course there are small challenges, but I finally feel at peace and comfortable,” said the proud mother of nine.
For SRSG Gbeho, engaging with South Sudanese such interactions are central to her role.
“It is always emotional for me when I come to the field, and the best part is always to talk to community members such as the women that settled in Hai Matar. They told me that they now had houses that they had built together with international support and that communities had organized themselves to patrol areas across Malakal to keep each other safe.”
The delegation also met caretaker Governor James Koang Chuol, who highlighted the growing humanitarian needs facing host communities, including those supporting roughly 6,000 refugees and returnees from Sudan.
“All of us know you and have witnessed what you have done for this country over the years, offline and online,” he said, referring to the SRSG’s previous appointment as Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, which has helped foster open exchanges with authorities, communities and humanitarian partners.
For their part, humanitarian partners highlighted several pressing concerns, including the implementation of the Akoka-Fashoda peace agreements, access challenges along the Sobat River corridor, the protection of civilians affected by violence, and reconciliation efforts in conflict-affected areas such as Baliet, Ulang and Nasir.
Yet, amid these challenges, SRSG Gbeho urged people to look beyond the negatives and recognize the progress being made. She recalled a metaphor her daughter often uses to make the point:
“Most people know situations where we only focus on the negative, on the small tea stain that found its way on a dress, instead of seeing the beautiful patterns around it.”
In Malakal, those patterns are visible in the resilience of communities rebuilding their lives after years of conflict, including the devastating violence that affected the region in 2016 and beyond.
Hai Matar is one example. What was once undeveloped and uninhabitable land due to scattered explosive hazards has become a settlement where families are rebuilding their lives, supported by the collective efforts of communities, local authorities, UNMISS, UNMAS, and humanitarian partners.
“When I last came here, Hai Matar was still a dream. It was something we all felt would be a good initiative. To come and see what communities, together with authorities and our support, have been able to achieve is truly moving,” said SRSG Gbeho.
Upper Nile State still faces significant challenges in building a safer and more stable future. But the visit also offered a reminder of how far communities have come, and of what can be achieved when their voices are heard, and efforts are united around their needs.
By Jaella Brockmann
