People in Morobo County, south of South Sudan’s capital Juba, have expressed worry about how the military forces have been causing issues rather than protecting the local population, with women in particular having received unwanted attention.
Jackson Baker, Executive Director of Morobo County, stated that while things are well in Morobo Town, people are afraid to go home from refugee camps or the homes of the internally displaced because of incidences of harassment, looting, and rapes.
He was one of many who voiced their opinions during a consultation and training session held by the UNMISS Protection, Transition, and Reintegration Section. The workshop, which was repeated in Yei County’s Mugwo Payam (administrative division), was designed to increase the capacity of key players in regards to safeguarding civilians and facilitating the return of refugees.
According to reports, issues are more likely to arise in Gulumbi Payam on Thursdays and Sundays, when marketplaces are conducted nearby. Armed soldiers have targeted women who bring their produce to be sold, blocking roads and assaulting or even raping vendors. In Mugwo Payam, similar complaints were made.
Participants in the two meetings identified issues pertaining to the protection of civilians and proposed potential solutions during a three-day integrated peacekeeping patrol conducted by the Mission’s Nepalese force.
The participants agreed on one solution, already outlined in the country’s revitalised peace deal, signed in September 2018: the formation of one national army. This was done in addition to promoting awareness among officers serving with the South Sudanese police force.
“The armed forces in the country need to unite and work together to keep civilians safe,” concluded Jackson Baker, while Cephus Diggs, a representative of the peacekeeping mission, pledged to forward the issues raised by the communities to the local authorities and to follow up on the implementation of suggested measures.