1.6 Million South Sudanese Displaced Internally

The head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Ellen Loej told reporters in Juba that the nearly 180,000 persons seeking protection in the Mission’s sites pales in comparison with the over 1.6 million South Sudanese displaced internally and over 600,000 displaced into neighboring countries since the start of the crisis in 2013.

During a press conference today (4 May), she said that these people were free to go but many of their homes have been occupied or destroyed, adding that these issues need to be addressed with the new Transitional Government of South Sudan to map the way forward.Several factors come into play when it comes to persons returning to their homes, she explained. Loej pointed out that among those major factors are the joint integrated police unit and a continuous peace throughout the country.

She told reporters “we need peace to take hold. We need the economy to recover to wholeheartedly embark on that road.”

The Special Representative also noted that the humanitarian crisis in the country has spread to areas that were not in conflict because of the lack of peace.

Loej underlined “for the sake of the South Sudanese people, I have to trust the Transitional Government that they would implement the Peace Agreement and I have to urge them over and over again to stick to their promises in creating a peaceful and prosperous nation and I urge everybody, including all of you South Sudanese to work together with everybody in realizing that dream.”

In a press statement issued today, the UN Security Council welcomed welcomed the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU) in South Sudan on April 29 as an important milestone in implementation of the “Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan” (the Agreement).

The members of the Security Council also recalled the thousands killed, the ongoing human suffering and the deteriorating economic situation and called upon the recently established TGNU to work together to fully implement the Agreement and bring an end to the cycles of violence and suffering, including by adhering to the permanent ceasefire, and by urgently creating the transitional institutions envisioned in the Agreement, which are needed to maintain security and build trust between the parties.
DESCRIPTION
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / DISPLACED
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS

DATELINE: 5 MAY 2016, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot, presser
2. Various shots, presser
3. Med shot, SRSG and journalist
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ellen Loej, Special Representative of the Secretary General, United Nations Mission In South Sudan:
“But we need peace to take hold. We need the economy to recover to wholeheartedly embark on that road.”
5. Wide shot, presser
6. Med shot, press
7. Med shot, journalist
8.SOUNDBITE (English) Ellen Loej, Special Representative of the Secretary General, United Nations Mission In South Sudan:
“For the sake of the South Sudanese people, I have to trust the Transitional Government that they would implement the Peace Agreement and I have to urge them over and over again to stick to their promises in creating a peaceful and prosperous nation and I urge everybody, including all of you South Sudanese to work together with everybody in realizing that dream.”
9. Med shot, presser
10. Close up, notepad
DURATION: 01:30