The United Nations mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is
sending 150 peacekeepers to Unity state to protect civilians who are
being targeted in clashes between the government and rebel troops, the
mission said on Thursday.
Nearly 1.76 million
people have been displaced internally since fighting broke out in 2013
between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and the former vice
president he sacked, Riek Machar, the UN said.
A series
of peace deals signed by the parties at the behest of regional groups
like the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have been
violated, with the latest violence taking place in Unity state, which
hosts abandoned oil fields.
“What we are witnessing on
the ground is the deliberate killing of civilians as well as the sexual
violation and abduction of women and children,” David Shearer, the head
of the UN mission, said in a statement.
Dozens have been killed in the area in recent weeks, UNMISS said.
“Our
fresh deployment will enable peacekeeping troops to patrol deeper to
reach remote villages where the worst atrocities are taking place to
create a protective presence and deter further fighting.”
At least 30 villages in the area had been attacked by the
warring parties, Shearer said, adding that thousands of civilians were
fleeing to Leer from Koch.
Those who are displaced were
seeking refuge near the UN base, with the majority being children, the
head of the mission said, demanding that those who are violating laws by
attacking civilians should be held to account.
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