JUBA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A senior UN envoy for South Sudan on Wednesday praised the UN peacekeepers for a "nimble and pro-active" response in support of humanitarians dealing with an emergency in the country.
Head of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) David Shearer said such peacekeeping response will be replicated in other crisis situations in South Sudan.
Shearer, who was speaking in Aburoc in the Upper Nile region where up to 25,000 people had taken refuge from conflict, said the presence of peacekeepers ensures security for aid workers.
"The presence of peacekeeping troops undoubtedly provided the security and confidence that humanitarian agencies needed to operate in this remote and dangerous area," said Shearer in a statement issued in Juba after the visit.
The village, which numbered some 5,000 people before the arrival of the displaced people, was lacking in water, food and health services.
According to the UN official, with the possibility that Aburoc was going to become a humanitarian disaster area it was important that everyone moved quickly.
"I was very pleased peacekeepers were ready to deploy nimbly and proactively. A light and effective footprint on the ground was what was needed," he said.
The UN mission brought 80 Rwandan peacekeepers together with armored vehicles to Aburoc at the beginning of April creating better security conditions for the arrival of the humanitarian community, two days later.
"A cholera outbreak was stopped and hundreds of lives were saved as a result of this combined action together with a highly effective response by humanitarian agencies," said Shearer who is also the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, in
The UNMISS deployment to Aburoc was planned to last a month but was extended by two weeks.
Humanitarian agencies remain in Aburoc providing life-saving services to the almost 11,000 people who remain there. UNMISS support is being continued through air patrols from Malakal.
"It's great that UNMISS has shown this response to an emergency situation and are ready should another crisis occur in other parts of South Sudan," he added.
