UN starts relocation of displaced persons in South Sudan

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Thursday announced the beginning of the initial phase of voluntary relocations of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Tomping Compound to the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site 3 adjacent to UN House in the capital Juba, a UN spokesman told reporters here.

"The decision to relocate people was made due to inadequate humanitarian infrastructure and capacity in Tomping," Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here. "It is also intended to provide them with better conditions and humanitarian services that are already in place in the Protection of Civilians site."

This is a coordinated effort by UNMISS and humanitarian partners, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is providing logistical support.

"The Mission says that it had sought security assurances from the government, National Security Service and Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in order to guarantee the safe passage of the displaced people from Tomping to Protection of Civilians site 3," Haq said.

"UNMISS will be providing force protection to the convoy from Tomping to the final destination, while the Joint Verification Monitoring Mechanism, with support from the South Sudan National Police Service, agreed to deploy in strategic areas along the route to ensure the convoy's timely passage," he said.

UN officials said that the situation in South Sudan remains fluid and uncertain. The clashes between government and opposition forces took place in Juba early this month, leaving some 272 people dead, including 33 civilians.

The country again plunged into conflict in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup, which the latter denied, leading to a cycle of retaliatory killings. Endite