UN Mission in South Sudan condemns breach of its protection site in Bentiu

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Tuesday strongly condemned the breach of the protection of civilians by rebel soldiers near the UN compound in Bentiu in the country's Unity State, calling on "the parties to the conflict to refrain from activities that undermine the sanctity of the protection of civilians sites."

UNMISS said that "it is seriously concerned about fighting that took place this morning and later this afternoon, in the vicinity of its compound in Bentiu in Unity State, including an artillery shell which landed in the protection of civilians site," Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

"The Mission strongly condemns today's breach of the protection of civilians site's perimeter by SPLA soldiers," he said, referring to the soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army. UNMISS currently protects some 53,000 civilians in Bentiu.

"The Mission remains committed to maintaining the civilian character of its protection sites, and reminds the parties that these sites provide safety to civilians under threat of violence," Haq said. "It calls on the parties to the conflict to refrain from activities that undermine the sanctity of the protection of civilians sites, or hinder the United Nations' ability to protect or assist civilians."

In Upper Nile State, the mission reported intermittent fighting around its support base in Renk, with mortars fired from the vicinity of the base, he said.

According to the mission, the fighting around Renk follows an SPLA offensive last week in and around Wad Dakona, a few kilometers south of Renk.

Fighting around Wad Dakona and Renk constitutes the biggest military action since the peace talks collapsed at the beginning of the month.

"UNMISS is not yet in a position to confirm movement and/or casualties on the ground," he said.

Political in-fighting between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, started in mid-December 2013 and subsequently turned into a full-fledged conflict that also sent nearly 100,000 civilians fleeing to UNMISS bases around the youngest country in the world.

Overall, the crisis has uprooted some 1.5 million people and placed more than 7 million at risk of hunger and disease. Endite