A team of peacekeepers sent out by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) last week to establish a temporary base in Lobonok was blocked by military forces, the mission’s spokesperson said.

The move prevented the United Nations peacekeepers from reaching Lobonok area where there are reports of clashes between the opposition National Salvation Front (NAS) and forces belonging to SSPDF and SPLA-IO.

Lobonok is located about 30 kilometres south of the capital Juba on the east bank of the Nile.

“A team of 92 Ethiopian and Nepalese peacekeepers left Juba for Lobonok last week to establish a temporary operating base in response to a request from local communities concerned about their safety following clashes between the National Salvation Front and forces belonging to the SSPDF and SPLA-IO,” UNMISS said in a Tuesday statement in response to Radio Tamazuj questions about the access denial.

UNMISS had reached an agreement with the military headquarters in Juba for the patrol but has been blocked from reaching its final destination by local National Security and military forces at checkpoints along the way, UNMISS spokesperson Francesca Mold said.

“NSS [National Security Service] and SSPDF [South Sudan People’s Defense Forces] are yet to provide a reason for the access denial. UNMISS wants to avoid a confrontation with security forces and is impressing on government at all levels that the Mission needs to carry out its mandate neutrally and impartially to protect civilians in the region who have told us they feel at risk,” said Mold.

Lul Ruai Koang, the spokesperson for the government military SSPDF, said: “What I know is that the UN Mission was given permission by our Chief of Defense Forces to go to Lobonok to assess the security situation there. So, if the UN peacekeepers have been blocked along the way, maybe our forces there did not receive the information on the permission given to UNMISS.”

“Sometimes information reaches late to the military forces deployed to the checkpoints. So what I can confirm is that the UN Mission had been given permission to dispatch its team to Lobonok. Our office is also open to meet UNMISS if they are still facing hurdles along the way to Lobonok,” he concluded.