A report by the Centre for Civilians in Conflict says some UNMISS forces fled their posts during the fighting in Juba in July, leaving their weapons behind to be taken by youth sheltering at the camp.

The UN headquarters in New York says it is studying the report.

“POC1 was left increasingly unprotected—a problem that deteriorated in particular after the Chinese
peacekeepers took casualties,” the CIVIC report says, referring to a site for protection of civilians at the UN base.

“First, the pedestrian gate was left open and unguarded; SPLA soldiers could have walked in unobstructed. Then, as fighting resumed on the morning of July 11, Chinese peacekeepers abandoned their posts in POC1 entirely, withdrawing into the core UN House base. While fleeing, some peacekeepers left behind weapons and ammunition that were taken, at least temporarily, by IDP youth,” the report says.

“With nowhere inside POC1 to shelter from gunfire and no protection from the peacekeepers, approximately 5,000 civilians fled over fences and barbed wire into the core UN House base. There, UNMISS forces struggled to
manage the situation. According to seven independent witness accounts, on the morning of July 12, UNMISS
fired tear gas on the civilians with little or no warning.”

Better Ethiopia, Rwanda

The report says the Ethiopian and Rwandan contingents however did better to try to protect civilians.

“Although some Ethiopian troops appear to have withdrawn from their perimeter
positions in POC3, civilians there consistently described how other Ethiopian peacekeepers provided them
with protection by remaining at their perimeter posts, helping evacuate civilian casualties, giving instructions
to civilians on how to take cover from crossfire, and, on at least a few occasions, returning fire when
fighters targeted the camp,” it says.

It added: “At Tongping, where fighting prevented civilians from accessing the compound
gates, Rwandan peacekeepers assisted civilians to enter through the perimeter fence and provided initial
humanitarian assistance, such as medical care, water, and shelter.”

UN admits flaws

The UN says acknowledges that the report “raises a number of important issues related to the South Sudan peace process, the behaviour of national security sources and their attacks against South Sudanese and international civilians, and the Mission’s response to the crisis.”

“UNMISS and UNHQ have engaged with the Centre For Civilians in Conflict on this report, including providing comprehensive responses to their questions,” according to a statement emailed to Eye Radio and attributable to the Public Affairs Section of the UN Peace Keeping Operations in New York.

In August, the Secretary-General appointed an independent Special Investigation, led by Maj. Gen. (Retired) Patrick Cammaert, to look into these incidents and the mission’s response. The statement says report is being finalised and will shortly be submitted to the the secretary General Ban Ki Moon; the findings will be made public.

“We are studying the CIVIC report and together with the findings of Special Investigation report, we hope to have a clearer picture of the tragic events of last July,” the UN says.

“What is clear, however, is that the violence being perpetrated against civilians as well as the fighting between the Government and Opposition must stop and the leaders of the country have the foremost responsibility to fully implement the peace agreement and bring those who are guilty of these crimes to justice,” the statement says.

“What is also clear is, as outlined by the Board of Inquiry on the February fighting in Malakal, and as this headquarters has reported consistently to the Security Council, is that the Protection of civilians site approach is flawed, unsustainable and cannot provide a reliable option for the physical security for tens of thousands of people caught in the middle of an active conflict. It is a temporary arrangement that is clearly showing its dramatic limitations,” it added.

The CIVIC report also says the UN had succumbed to restrictions and would not discharge some of its duties unless it has the approval of the SPLA. The SPLA is yet to comment on this CIVIC report.