The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in South Sudan, David Shearer, has expressed concerns about the situation of people sheltering at the UN camp in Wau.

Mr. Shearer is currently on a trip to the area to assess the situation.

The UN reports that thousands of people are sheltering in its camp in Wau and in churches within the area.

Most of them fled violence which broke out in the area last year, and some fled recent inter-communal clashes between farmers and cattle keepers in the state.

Mr. Shearer said UN agencies will try their best to help the situation, but he says this cannot be achieved without the support of the local authorities.

“We need peace here. These people need to be sure they can rely on the security forces to give them the peace and security that they need to go back to their homes,” the UNMISS chief said.

“Their lives need to get back to normal, so we can help as much as we can. But at the end of the day, it is going to be the authorities in Wau that will enable the security situation to improve to allow the people here to go back.”

Mr. Shearer also said the humanitarian situation in Wau, particularly at the UN base, was not good for the internally displaced.

The Governor of Wau, Andrea Mayar, has appealed to the UN to do all it can to help the IDPs return to their homes.