unmiss

The UN says its police officers are carrying out day and night patrols in Juba to ensure civilians are safe in residential areas.

Last month, the Inspector of Police, General Pieng Deng, told Eye Radio that the South Sudan Police service and the UN police would conduct patrols in residential areas to demonstrate to show people living in UN and IDP camps that they will be safe if they go home.

UNMISS spokesperson Ariane Quentier told Eye Radio that UN police

have been deployed in Juba.

“They are patrolling day and night, but again the patrol is a security arrangement and we are not going to get into details of when and how exactly they are patrolling, but yes they have been patrolling day and night since they arrived,” she said.

Ms Quentier said about 300 UN peacekeepers have arrived into the country and will be deployed to areas affected by the conflict.

“On Tuesday morning close to 300 troops arrived in Juba. As you may recall, on 24^th December the United Nations Security Council authorized an additional 5,500 troops to come and reinforce the contingent that is in South Sudan. These 300 troops followed an advance party that was here two weeks ago on 25^th January, who were looking at the conditions and assessing how the department will be taken care of,” she said.

Ms Quentier said UNMISS is expecting more UN peacekeepers to arrive in South Sudan.

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Herve Ladsous, ended a visit to South Sudan yesterday.

He said there can be no solution to the crisis in South Sudan other than a political solution.