The contribution of the United Nations police to the protection of civilians in South Sudan

Resumen

South Sudan became an independent state in 2011 after a long civil war against Sudan. In the same year, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was established to consolidate peace, security, and development. In 2013, a bloody civil war that erupted and remains today has changed the country and also the character of the United Nations (UN) mission, which became more robust and had to shelter about 200,000 people in the protection of civilian (PoC) sites. In this complex and violent environment, the United Nations Police (UNPOL), an important component within UNMISS, face a substantial challenge in order to protect civilians in the country. Thus, this paper examines the performance of UNPOL as the law enforcement mechanism within PoC sites and how their employment has contributed to the protection of civilians in South Sudan. The research methods chosen for this study were both the qualitative and the quantitative approaches. Hence, after bibliographic research, an interview with a former Brazilian UNPOL officer, and the analysis of the crime rates within PoC sites, it was possible to verify that UNPOL play an essential role within UNMISS, ensuring a safe environment for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who are under the direct protection of the UN.