UN assisting 47,000 displaced people in Unity state
October 3, 2014 (BENTIU) – At least 47,000 people displaced by fighting in South Sudan’s Unity state will continue receiving humanitarian assistance at United Nations protection of civilian sites, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday.
“Critical aid staffs remain on site and are providing health, nutrition, water and sanitation services,” said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general said.
UN partners have reportedly assisted about 150 people who sought refuge in the town’s Catholic Church with agencies providing food, medicine, basic shelter supplies while assessing any further needs.
The oil-rich Unity state capital has been a scene of tense exchanges between government and opposition forces, changing hands several times throughout the more than 10-month-long conflict.
Thousands have been killed and over 1.5 million displaced, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing to neighbouring countries.
Ongoing peace talks between the warring parties in Ethiopia have so far failed to achieve a lasting political settlement to the crisis, with both sides accusing each other of violating a ceasefire deal signed in January.
(ST)