9 December 2014 - The leaders of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Bentiu should instill hope in children, youth, women and elderly sheltering in Protection of Civilians (POC) sites, UNMISS Police Commissioner Fred Yiga said there today.

“The tomorrow of your children is in your hands and you must shape it,” Mr. Yiga said during a meeting with a high-level IDP committee at the POC in the Unity State capital. “Desperation destroys your thinking, but hope restores your thinking.”

He praised the level of cooperation between the POC leadership and UN Police (UNPOL) in efforts to ensure safety and security for people living there.

“There are so many factors that influence behavior, including drunkenness, rape, abuse and the defying of rules by youngsters,” Commissioner Yiga said. “We have to work to resolve POC issues.”

He noted that UNPOL had previously built South Sudan National Police Service capacity so that it could care for the country’s citizens. “However, that has not been happening. Instead, we are (now) keeping law and order among the IDPs within the camps.”

The Commissioner added that UNPOL would do “everything possible to make the government understand that protecting civilians all over the country is its responsibility”.

IDP representatives commended the effort UNMISS personnel were making in the camps, working tirelessly day and night.

Committee members requested an increase in UNPOL at POC sites, saying the current level was incompatible with the large number of IDPs in ensuring effective law and order.

The Commissioner also met with UNMISS Unity State Coordinator Mary Cummins about security, early warning mechanisms and cooperation of UNPOL with military contingents.

Mr. Yiga visited Malakal, Upper Nile State, on 8 December and will be travelling to Bor, Jonglei, on 11 of this month.