UN claims harassment of aid workers in S Sudan by conflicting parties
May 5, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA/JUBA) – Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, on Tuesday said aid workers were prevented from reaching needy civilians in Bentinu and surrounding areas.
“On the past days, aid workers based in Bentiu, Unity state, have been prevented from leaving the United Nations base to carry out their work in Bentiu town as well as in surrounding neighborhoods and villages,” Lanzer said.
He added that the denial of access disrupts life-saving assistance, including medical support in hospital, to the conflict affected population in the oil state
The international official didn’t name the authority that took this decision but he said they count on “the good offices of all parties and officials to respect the freedom of movement required for humanitarian action”.
He appealed for greater cooperation between the relief agencies and the parties involved in the South Sudan’s 16-month long conflict.
Lanzer mentioned that aid workers left the rebelled controlled Pagak area in Upper Nile state on 23-24 April “because of harassment and impediments to their freedom of movement.
Officials of the SPLM In Opposition, last week refuted the claims, saying the aid workers were never harassed. They said there was need for establishing rules and guidelines for the operations of the aid workers and abide by neutrality in the conflict.
Machar’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune last week that there were confirmed incidents in which government’s security operatives infiltrated humanitarian agencies by disguising as aid workers to spy on the rebels in their territories.
The country’s humanitarian chief coordinator, Lanzer, acknowledged the concerns and said his office was working toward promoting understanding with the rebel group in preparation for the return of the aid workers claimed to have been harassed in Pagak.
“We are working toward a resolution so that they [aid workers] can return and work in line with the principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality,” Lanzer said in his Tuesday statement.