More than ever, peacekeeping needs support

Eighteen months ago, Bentiu, like most towns in South Sudan, was bustling with the restlessness of markets, people trading and children going to school. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), was busy supporting development and growth in the world's youngest nation.

Today, a visitor to the UN Mission's base outside Bentiu in Unity State, would see a sea of blue and white tarpaulin tents and hastily-erected stalls. The base has become a temporary home to some 63,000 civilians seeking protection from the cataclysm of violence that has gripped the new state of South Sudan since the outbreak of the political crisis in December 2013.