UNMISS turned away civilians in Renk seeking protection from fighting
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) refused entry to civilians seeking shelter at its base in Renk, Upper Nile following clashes between SPLA-Juba and SPLA-In Opposition forces.
UNMISS twice did not allow civilians to enter its Renk base for safety, according to draft minutes seen by Radio Tamazuj of a November 11 meeting of the Inter-Cluster Working Group, a humanitarian task force.
"Partners are concerned that civilians fleeing active hostilities in Renk have been turned away on two occasions at UNMISS [County Support Base]," the draft minutes read. The humanitarians urged UNMISS "to keep its gates open."
UNMISS is mandated by the UN Security Council "to protect civilians under threat of physical violence, irrespective of the source of such violence, within its capacity and areas of deployment."
Fighting took place on November 10, 2014 at Duk Duk north of Renk, according to military spokespersons of both SPLA-Juba and SPLA-IO.
As of 1 December, there were an estimated 102,909 civilians sheltering in eight UNMISS bases in South Sudan.
File photo: Peacekeepers in Bentiu, South Sudan
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