A sense of calm currently prevails in Rumbek town. Amid the skitter of children, mothers sell dried fish and fresh vegetables in the marketplace. A hawker in a wheelbarrow raises his voice to be heard above the dusty swirl of commerce in the marketplace.
But just days ago, the sound of heavy machine guns and running street battles shattered that tranquillity.
“The gunshots were so loud that we hid under our beds. It was a sound that I hadn’t heard before. I saw many people running with their children to take them to safety. We decided that it was better to stay safe at home than to protect our property,” says Mbabazi Riesty Loduma, a pharmacy owner.
According to State authorities, intercommunal fighting in Rumbek on 8 and 9 October left 60 people dead and 78 wounded, while about 500 families were temporarily displaced. Businesses were also targeted as violence swept through the town.
As the violence unfolded, peacekeepers from Nepal serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) swiftly deployed a Quick Reaction Force to help protect civilians and safeguard critical facilities, in coordination with local authorities and security services.
“We got reports that wounded people at the hospital were about to be attacked – so we mobilized our troops to the Rumbek State Hospital and undertook patrols in town, and around the humanitarian compound and airport, as these are sensitive areas,” says Lt. Col. Lekhnath Katwal, commander of Nepalese peacekeepers in Rumbek.
The following day, UNMISS dispatched a convoy to Amok Payam, north of Rumbek, to extract 17 humanitarian workers who were trapped there amid fears for their safety.
“We heard that they were going to loot our compound and kill some of our colleagues because they belonged to a particular community,” says Angelina Adhel, a humanitarian worker and Rumbek resident. “We are really thankful that UNMISS rescued us, otherwise it would have been a big disaster.”
While peacekeepers worked to address immediate security threats, UNMISS also stepped up its engagement to help prevent further violence and support conflict-resolution efforts.
A civilian team led by Hiroko Hirahara, UNMISS Director for Civil Affairs, visited Rumbek to engage State authorities, community leaders and civil society representatives. The team also met humanitarian agencies to better understand their security concerns and identify ways to respond to their needs.
During a meeting, the Lakes State caretaker Governor, Rin Tueny Mabor, said security forces had been deployed and that he was engaging community leaders to prevent a recurrence of the violence.
“The situation is calm now as we have deployed security forces to ensure that nothing untoward happens again. I am also working with chiefs from the different communities to get them on board and ensure that there will not be a repeat of such incidents,” he said.
For Rumbek’s residents, the return of relative calm offers some relief after days of fear and uncertainty. But preventing further violence will require continued efforts by authorities, security actors, and communities themselves to address tensions and build trust.
Through its protection activities and political engagement, UNMISS is supporting these efforts to help ensure that the current calm leads to durable peace.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).