The head of the United Nations humanitarian office today called for better protection of civilians in southern Sudan when visiting thousands of people who have fled their homes over the past three years because of persistent attacks on villages by members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

"The protection of civilians must be at the heart of the planning process of the recently announced joint Government initiative for an anti-LRA force," said Valerie Amos, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, when she visited the 13,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Ezo county of Western Equatoria state.

"All components of the force, in particular armed community defense groups, should be subject to close Government oversight, in collaboration with expert protection partners," said Ms. Amos on the third day of her visit to Sudan.