UN peacekeepers in South Sudan failed to protect civilians in the capital, Juba, during the July crisis, a report from the US-based NGO Center for Civilians in Conflict (Civic) says.
Fighting broke out between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to then Vice-President Riek Machar.
The four days of clashes led to dozens of civilian deaths – with some estimates putting the figure at more than 300.
A group of aid workers were also targeted in what Civic calls a brutal attack.
The sites where the UN mission, Unmiss, was protecting civilians were also attacked and Civic says: “The mission’s defense of the 37,000 displaced persons sheltered on its bases was inconsistent, with some peacekeepers abandoning their posts during heavy fighting while other peacekeepers assisted civilians trying to enter the base perimeter”.
Civic acknowledges that Unmiss is working in a “challenging environment” but says it “under-performed” in protecting civilians.
It calls for a transparent investigation into what went wrong.
CCTV
