United Nations Mission in South Sudan or UNMISS Chief and Director General of the International Organization for Migration or IOM visited Bentiu, Unity State last Saturday, expressing concerns about atrocities committed against civilians during the recent fighting in the area.
In a statement, Ellen Margrethe L√∏j says UNMISS must be able to document the crimes without impediment to access violence scene as she reiterates the essence of accountability for abuses committed.
She adds that UNMISS faces a great challenge in protecting thousands of Internally Displaced Persons or IDPs throughout the country.
IOM Director-General William Lacy Swing says the joint visit aims at assessing the fate of civilians following the fighting throughout Unity State in recent weeks.
IOM is overseeing renovation and expansion of the 1.5 million square metres Protection of Civilians’ site in Bentiu and that IDPs are expected to be relocated in the expanded site in coming weeks.
The statement indicates that UNMISS is currently protecting over 60 thousand civilians in Bentiu alone out of 130 thousand all over the country.