United Nations Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS refuted erroneous information provided by Government Spokesperson Michael Makuei Lueth that the Mission denied civilians entry to its Bentiu compound for protection, exposing them to slaughter by opposition forces.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, UNMISS said at no point did the Mission ever turn away any civilians who came to its camp to seek protection.
It added that the Mission opened its gates to all unarmed civilians who found their way to the camp.
The statement said even UNMISS peacekeepers went to some locations to extract civilians who were trapped and could not find their way out.
The Mission added that it has evidences including photos of its troops extracting hundreds of civilians from Bentiu Hospital where over 500 civilians were trapped.
The statement refuted Mr Makuei’s accusation that IDPs in UNMISS compounds were rebels or associated to opposition forces, clarifying that thousands of IDPs are from many communities with various political affiliations.
The Mission warned that associating IDPs with armed opposition could place all their lives at risk of being targeted and attacked.
The statement emphasized that it is the primary responsibility of government to protect the civilian population.