A view of one of the entrances to the UNMISS POC camp near Bentiu, Unity State, South Sudan.

Representatives of Internally Displaced Persons in Malakal say the organized forces are not allowing anyone to enter or leave the UN camp.

They allege that an IDP was battered on Monday morning by soldiers deployed outside the camp.

“We received a complaint from butchers, saying that there was a group of soldiers who beat them when they were asked to enter into POC,” said Okuc, chairperson of community leaders at the POC. “One of them sustained injuries.”

According to another leader, Sebit Khamis, the soldiers are also prohibiting food supplies from being taken into the camp.

He says traders of meat, fish, and other commodities cannot access the POC market.

“Up to now, we don’t know the reason behind this. Or is it related to the issue of Covid-19?” Khamis told Eye Radio.

This is for the second time such incident occurred at Malakal POC after the first on April 7, 2020.

They said soldiers accused them of being coronavirus positive after a UN staff became the first patient of the virus on April 5.

Currently, there are 29,659 IDPs living in the Protection of Civilians site in Juba – UN House (PoC I & PoC III), 118,385 IDPs in Bentiu, Unity state, and 27, 928 IDPs in Malakal, Upper Nile state.

Also there are 1,921 IDPs in Bor, Jonglei state, and 2,483 IDPs in Wau, Western Barh El ghazel state.

So far, South Sudan has recorded six cases of coronavirus.