
RDC: Mouvement Social Regroupement Politique de Lamuka – “Objet: Meeting Populaire” (12.02.2019)














This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
GENEVA, Switzerland, February 12, 2019 – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is seeing a surge in refugee arrivals from South Sudan in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Over the past few days thousands of desperate people have been crossing the border to escape fighting and violence against civilians.
It’s estimated that 5,000 refugees have arrived in several border villages near the town of Ingbokolo, in north-east DRC’s Ituri province, according to local village chiefs. There are reports that an additional 8,000 people are displaced inside South Sudan, on the outskirts of the town of Yei.
People are fleeing clashes that started on January 19 between the army and one of the rebel groups, the National Salvation Front (NAS). This is in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State that borders DRC and Uganda. The clashes are blocking humanitarian access to the affected areas.
In DRC, those fleeing the violence arrived by foot over the weekend. Most are women, children and the elderly. They arrived exhausted, hungry and thirsty. Among them are people suffering malaria or other illnesses. Many have suffering from trauma from having witnessed violent incidents, including armed men reportedly murdering and raping civilians and looting villages.
UNHCR staff in DRC’s Ituri province say that desperate people are seeking shelter in churches, schools and abandoned houses, or sleeping in the open. This is a remote area and border villages have almost no infrastructure or health centres. New arrivals are surviving thanks to food that is being shared with them by local villagers.
The areas in which refugees have arrived are difficult to reach, with roads and bridges badly damaged and in a state of disrepair. The Congolese authorities are encouraging people to move away from the volatile border area and move further inland, where they can get better help.
UNHCR has sent additional staff to Ituri to register refugees and support their possible relocation. However, we need funds to set up shelters and provide assistance including food, water and medical services in the nearest refugee settlement, Biringi. Biringi is located further south and has an existing population of over 6,000 South Sudanese refugees.
The conflict in South Sudan has created over 2.2 million refugees since 2013. UNHCR repeats its call for all parties to the conflict to take all possible action to ensure the safety of civilians and their freedom of movement, and to guarantee safe routes for civilians to leave conflict areas.

Their visit focused on the transition of the UN’s engagement in Darfur in the context of the drawdown of the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur, known as UNAMID.
KHARTOUM, Sudan, February 12, 2019 – On 12 February 2019, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Bintou Keita; the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Development Programme, Mourad Wahba; and the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco concluded a three-day visit to Sudan. Their visit focused on the transition of the UN’s engagement in Darfur in the context of the drawdown of the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur, known as UNAMID.
From 9 to 11 February, they visited Darfur where they engaged with local and State authorities, native administration, IDPs and Civil Society among others in order to ensure a smooth transition of peace-building tasks from UNAMID to UN Agencies, Programmes and Funds and the relevant authorities of the Government of Sudan (GOS). On 11 February, the delegation returned to Khartoum where they met with the Assistant Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Elham Ahmed and a high level delegation from all Government bodies working with UNAMID.
The discussion revolved around issues related to the transition and eventual exit of UNAMID by June 2020.
The high level UN delegation held a broader meeting between UNAMID, the UN Country Team (UNCT) and the Government of Sudan in order to coordinate efforts to facilitate a smooth transition.
During these engagements the three Assistant Secretaries -Generals emphasized that the responsibility of achieving peace, stability and development for the people of Darfur lies with the Government of Sudan while all other entities can play a supporting role.
This joint mission reflected the United Nations’ commitment to supporting this important process and ensuring national ownership for sustaining Peace.

Tuesday’s release took place in the south-west town of Yambio where the children had formerly been associated with the South Sudan National Liberation Movement, which signed a peace agreement with the government in 2016.
NEW YORK, United States of America, February 12, 2019 – One hundred and nineteen children were released by an armed group in South Sudan Tuesday, bringing the total number of those freed since the conflict began to more than 3,100. Forty-eight girls were among the group, with the youngest child being 10-years-old.
“Every child no longer with an armed group represents a childhood restored and a future regained,” said UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, who visited South Sudan in January last year. “More and more children are being freed from armed groups and armed forces in South Sudan, and while this is an encouraging development, there is a long way to go before all of the more than 19,000 children still in their ranks are returned to their families.”
Since February 2018, more than 1,000 children have been released by various armed Groups.
Tuesday’s release took place in the south-west town of Yambio where the children had formerly been associated with the South Sudan National Liberation Movement, which signed a peace agreement with the government in 2016.
During the process, each child was registered and provided with a certificate stating they were no longer affiliated with the group. They then met with social workers, health workers and education specialists to assess their immediate needs. They were also provided with a reintegration package including clothes, shoes, and other basic commodities. As with other groups, each child is provided with three years of reintegration support to assist their return to civilian life and prevent re-recruitment. For each released child assisted, one vulnerable child and their family from the host community is also supported to foster acceptance and promote a more sustainable reintegration.
“This year marks the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which requires governments to meet the basic needs of children and to help them reach their full potential,” said Fore. “Five months after the signing of a peace agreement, UNICEF calls on all parties to South Sudan’s conflict to recommit themselves to upholding these rights and to ensuring that children are never soldiers.”
The release coincided with International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers. While exact data on the number of children used and recruited into armed conflict are difficult to confirm because of the unlawful nature of child recruitment, UNICEF estimates that tens of thousands of boys and girls under the age of 18 are used in conflicts worldwide. Many have been taken by force, while others join due to economic or social pressure. Children who are displaced or living in poverty are even more vulnerable to recruitment. Children are recruited or used for various functions by armed forces and groups, including as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers and spies, or they are subjected to sexual exploitation.