By Charles K Mark
United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has deployed additional peacekeepers and launched urgent patrols to two conflict hotspots.
The hotspots including Tombura and some parts of Eastern Equatoria State.
The move followed fresh inter-communal violence that caused the deaths of civilians, the abduction of women and children, and the mass displacement of vulnerable communities.
On the 26th of April, a group of armed youth, allegedly from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), attacked cattle keepers across the border in Kapoeta East County in Eastern Equatoria.
The UN Mission in the country reported that efforts were underway to verify the number of casualties.
However, preliminary reports indicate a significant number of people were killed, women and children were abducted, and hundreds of cattle were stolen.
UNMISS stated that it sent a special flight to Marwa to support the engagement of the GPAA Chief Administrator with local leaders and the community.
The UN urged the GPAA authorities to recover all those abducted and reunite them with their families, as well as to impose a rule of law to prevent further incidents.
Meanwhile, in Tombura County, Western Equatoria State, tensions between communities from different ethnic backgrounds remain high following a series of incidents.
There were reported cases of the killing of civilians, the disappearance of a priest who is a member of the Tombura peace committee, and the torching of homes.
As fears of further violence rise, more than 13,000 people have sought sanctuary at a displacement camp outside an UNMISS temporary base, and 4,000 have arrived at another such site in Tombura town.
UNMISS reported that it dispatched an additional 76 military peacekeepers to reinforce the Tombura temporary base, protect displaced families, and boost patrols in the surrounding area.
“Despite the ongoing fuel blockade, which is threatening UNMISS’ ability to carry out our work, we are doing our utmost to help protect civilians caught up in inter-communal conflict and prevent further violence,” Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, Nicholas Haysom, said in a statement.