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UN peacekeepers rescue internally displaced people in north town in South Sudan

Xinhua, February 25, 2017 Adjust font size:

The UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has rescued a number of displaced people in Bentiu,a town in the northern part of South Sudan after uniformed soldiers attempted to abduct them, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said here Friday.

"Soldiers were seen beating and harassing 11 internally displaced people at a nearby farm," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. "UN peacekeepers intervened and rescued seven women and four men."

UNMISS reported that uniformed soldiers attempted to abduct a number of internally displaced people nearby the UN Protection of Civilians site in Bentiu on Thursday evening, Dujarric said.

"In other related incidents the same evening, peacekeepers also prevented the harassment of other people who were returning to the site," he said.

The head of the UN mission, David Shearer, praised the "robust" response of members of the Mongolian Battalion who rescued these people, he said.

Bentiu is the UN's largest Protection of Civilians site in South Sudan with 120,000 residents. Enditem