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Protection Situation Update: Violence in the Malakal POC Site, (17-18 February 2016)

Countries
South Sudan
Sources
Protection Cluster
+ 1 more
Publication date

1. Overview

At around 22h30 on the evening of 17 February 2016, violence erupted in the Malakal Protection of Civilians (POC) Site. The incident came after weeks of growing tensions between the Dinka and Shilluk communities. Over a period of 24 hours on 17 and 18 February, an estimated 1,251 official shelters were burned,29 people were killed, and over 140 were injured.

The incident was the third attack on internally-displaced people (IDPs) in UNMISS bases since the conflict began in December 2013. It led an estimated 45,000 IDPs to flee the POC Site into the UNMISS Log Base and into Malakal Town for protection. Three humanitarian clinics and two schools were also destroyed during the incident.