UN told to do more to allow displaced Abyei civilians to return
The United Nations must step up efforts to provide the security required for
tens of thousands of civilians stranded in makeshift camps in South Sudan to
return to their homes after fleeing fighting in Abyei more than six months ago,
Amnesty International said today.
More than 100,000 people – virtually the entire population - were displaced by
the violence in May 2011 and ongoing insecurity, the presence of armed forces
and militias and the danger posed by landmines are preventing them from
returning.
“The Sudanese Army and allied militia have driven virtually the entire
population out of Abyei and burned down their homes so as to prevent their
return,” said Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response
Adviser who visited Abyei at the end of November – the first visit to Abyei by
an international organization since the May 2011 events.
“Charred homes and the shells of looted buildings testify to the horrors that
took place in Abyei, which is now a ghost town. Everything of any value has been
looted, including humanitarian organizations’ facilities and now the only signs
of life are the soldiers and UN peacekeepers.”
What happened in Abyei has not been adequately investigated and so far there is
no clear picture of how many people died or were injured, and who is still
missing.
The UN should ensure that a proper investigation is carried out and in the
meantime it should release whatever information was gathered by the UN mission
deployed at the time in Abyei or by other UN bodies during and after the events.
The UN Security Council and Secretary General should also ensure the human
rights monitoring component of the current UN mission’s mandate is implemented
without further delay.
FA/ANA/20 December 2011----------