Lessons Learned from South Sudan Protection of Civilian Sites 2013–2016

Lessons Learned from South Sudan Protection of Civilian Sites - Complications Facing PoC Sites - 59
Space Issues
One of the main tensions between humanitarians and
UNMISS is over space, or the lack thereof, within the bases.
UNMISS bases were not constructed to host thousands,
much less tens of thousands, of people. The land given by
the Sudanese government to UNMIS 1 was often swampy
areas and prone to flooding in the rainy season. The sudden
influx of thousands of people into areas with limited space
caused immediate congestion of IDPs and humanitarians;
the solutions comprised containment, expansion and
designation of service areas with or without standards.
Expansions of the base perimeters required an agreement
between UNMISS leadership and the Government, as
well as permission from the owner to lease the land. Each
PoC site location faced different challenges in terms of
expansion. Such a process requires additional resources
for construction, such as heavy machinery and perimeter
materials. The time required by UNMISS to redirect limited
resources to the perimeters led some locations to have
extremely inadequate boundaries until other partners
stepped in to complete the work. In June 2014, UNMISS
announced that any new land allocation or expansions of
PoC sites would require approval from Juba (Interview 68).
Despite reservations by mission leadership, pressure from
former DSRSG/RC/HC Lanzer and donors eventually led to
the expansion and decongestion of the camps (ibid.).
In Juba’s Tongping, the IDPs were contained to an area with
4 m2 per person, far below international standards of 45
m2 per person. 59 Finding space for latrines and distribution
points became extremely challenging. The driest parts of the
bases were already used by UNMISS for accommodation
and offices, leaving highly dense populations on land
vulnerable to flooding for two thirds of the year. The solution
to decongest was the creation of a large area at UN House.
Construction began in early 2014 but was not completed
until June, with the relocation exercise taking another six
months. Tongping stayed congested for almost one year,
with literally no humanitarian standards achieved.
As UNMISS leadership did not have an interest in increasing
the pull factor to the PoC sites, it allegedly sought to
limit the services offered by INGOs. For example, one
organization, reportedly, infuriated UNMISS leadership
by creating a child friendly space in UN House as it was
perceived to create an additional draw factor (Interview
47). Former camp managers also argued that UNMISS was
reluctant to allocate additional space for the PoC sites, as
improvements would potentially increase the appeal of the
camps. The IDPs were often located on very congested
parts of land, adjacent to empty spaces UNMISS had
set aside for developing their bases. Dozens of new staff
residences were being built in UN House while IDPs had
only 3.5 m2 per person in parts of the PoC site (ibid.).
Further negotiations with UNMISS over land required for
humanitarian hubs were, according to many humanitarian
staff, protracted and challenging, as well.
Malakal expansion was the first area created by UNMISS
and humanitarians to accommodate all IDPs sheltering at a
PoC site. A large area was identified on the southern edge
of the base. The original creation of the PoC extensions
did not consider international standards, increasing
public health and protection challenges in particular. In
the Malakal PoC site, staff members of UNMISS Mission
Support Unit claimed they were only informed about these
standards after the first expansion area had already been
built and were told that the space created was only enough
for 30 per cent of the IDPs within the base. In the end, the
majority of IDPs moved to the new site with less than 12
m2 per person. Additional sections were built afterwards by
humanitarian organizations to further decongest the site.
Many of the IDPs are interested in finding additional income
to supplement the services offered by the humanitarians.
Women often sell firewood and grass they collect from
outside the PoC at great personal risk, while others have
started small business in the PoC sites. For most IDPs,
markets are currently the only means of livelihoods and
income, and competition over market space in the PoC sites
can become intense and even result in conflicts (Interview
68). A large market in Malakal PoC site was removed and
moved to the town when security conditions were better and
as a means of encouraging returns. However, the eruption
of armed clashes in April 2015 destroyed this market.
Current security conditions do not allow for a new market
to be rebuilt or accessed by the majority of IDPs in the
Malakal PoC site. As a result, shopkeepers have set up their
shops within the site where they can find space, and there
is a constant battle to break down the illegal construction of
shops along access roads. At one point, latrines in a sector
could not be emptied of waste because of a series of illegal
buildings blocking access. UNMISS forces have refused to
expand the perimeter to include an expanded market space
in Malakal as they perceived this to be beyond their mandate
of protecting civilians (Interview 57). The subsequent events
in Malakal in February 2016 have proven that congestion
of PoC sites increases tensions and prevents key services
from functioning.
However, as the recent inflow of IDPs in Bentiu and Malakal
has surpassed any expectations, camp management has
yet to decongest the majority PoC sites to meet international
standards. In Bentiu, the PoC site was extended during
the 2015 dry season to 1.5 million m2 to improve living
conditions. Between March and December 2015, Bentiu
received more than 70,000 new arrivals, more than doubling
the population of the site. In some PoC sites, IDPs still have
less than 4 m2 of space per person even after two years.
56
57
BBC News, 21 January 2014. “South Sudan President Salva Kiir hits out at UN,” 21 January 2014.
BBC News, 10 March 2014. “South Sudan protest against UN over arms cache,” 10 March
2014; UNMISS, “UNMISS secures the safe release of all personnel held by SPLA-IO in Upper
Nile State,” 1 November 2015.
58
59
I.M. Breidlid and M.J. Arensen, 2014, pp. 32–38.
45 m2 per person might seem like a large amount of space, but it includes the space
needed for services such as latrines, distribution points, medical facilities, schools and even
roads and drainage.