Indiscipline of South Sudan soldiers troubles United Nations
LONDON (AlertNet) - Aid workers trying to deliver relief to thousands of people who fled Sudan's Abyei region have faced harassment and looting by southern soldiers along key transport routes close to the disputed border area, U.N. officials said.
Insecurity is just one of the problems confronting aid workers who are also battling fuel shortages, the onset of heavy rains and bad roads as they try to help thousands of people who fled Abyei after the northern army took control on May 21.
The operation drew international criticism, occurring as it did less than two months before the south is due to break off and become an independent country. The historic move follows a January vote on secession, which was part of a 2005 deal to end two decades of north-south civil war.
In its latest update on the aid response, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it was concerned about reports of indiscipline among southern SPLA – Sudan People’s Liberation Army – soldiers, including the taxation of relief supplies and intimidation at checkpoints.
"We have registered several incidents involving humanitarian actors," the head of OCHA in South Sudan's main town of Juba, Giovanni Bosco, told AlertNet by telephone.
"We're working with the government and military to stop it," he said, adding that: "Within the government in Juba, we've seen very good support ... They are actively working to stop these kinds of activities."
The south's SPLA soldiers are mainly drawn from the rebel group that spent years in the bush fighting the Khartoum government. One of the many challenges facing the southern authorities is transforming the SPLA into a professional army.
FUEL SHORTAGES
Besides insecurity, another worry for aid agencies trying to reach an estimated 60,000 people displaced by the tensions in and around Abyei has been the lack of fuel in the south.
Most of the displaced are concentrated in Warrap state which neighbours Abyei, but others fled further away to Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Western Bahr el Ghazal and Unity states.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that an IOM convoy of 13 trucks had left South Sudan's main town of Juba with 140 drums of fuel to help aid groups hit by shortages in Aweil, Wau and Wunrok.
Two out of three supply routes running between North and South Sudan have been blocked since early May. OCHA said although one route was currently open, insecurity and concerns about freshly laid landmines were impeding the movement of fuel across Unity state.
The lack of fuel makes it even more time-consuming and expensive to transport supplies across South Sudan, a vast, under-developed area which has few tarmac roads.
During Sudan's last civil war, Abyei was a major battleground and has retained symbolic importance for both sides.
The fertile region is used all year round by the south-linked Dinka Ngok people and part of the year by northern Arab Misseriya nomads, who traditionally pass through with their animals for water and pasture.
The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday a field visit found Abyei town "virtually emptied" of its estimated population of 50,000 to 55,000 late last week.
Sporadic shooting could be heard as late as Monday, the agency said.
"Large numbers of fighters were present on the streets. Pilfering was openly going on, with people apparently organising batches of stolen belongings," it said in a statement.
A UNHCR official said the fighters were Misseriya.
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