The UN should provide more safety and security for civilians who are affected by conflict but have not sought refuge at its bases, the General Director of the Medical Charity MSF has said.

Arjan Hehenkamp said the UN is limiting its mandate of protection of civilians by only focusing on particular areas designated as Protection of Civilians (POC) sites.

He said there is need to provide protection even to those who are outside the POCs.

Mr. Hehenkamp spoke to media in Juba before his departure to MSF headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

“My hope and aspiration would be that the UN would be able from its mandate to provide much protection to the population as possible. Also to keep them safe from harm and violence and at the moment, I think the UN maybe as a result of not having all the capacities that is required in some of the areas, is focusing and limiting its protection to some of these sites; the POC sites, in a way that is very good but it also that the protection for civilians outside of these sites is insufficient,” Mr Hehekamp told reporters in Juba over the weekend.

“If I were to have one hope and aspiration, it would be to be able to create more safety and security for civilian population outside of the POC site for some of these very conflicted areas,” he said.

According to UNMISS, currently there are over 200,000 people seeking protection at the UN camps in the country.
The sites are located in Juba, Bentiu, Wau, Bor, Melut and Malakal.