UN: 9.4m people need relief aid, protection assistance in S. Sudan
August 17, 2023 (JUBA) – 9.4 million people or over two-thirds of the population in South Sudan need humanitarian and protection assistance, a United Nations report said.
Humanitarians, according to the 2023 Aid Workers Security Report, require $1.7 billion to target 6.8 million of the most vulnerable people, yet only 43.8% of this has been funded.
With 40 attacks on aid workers so far this year, South Sudan has recorded the highest number of attacks against aid workers with at least 22 said to have died and 36 injured.
“Too many humanitarians, most of them South Sudanese nationals, have lost their lives while trying to alleviate the suffering around them,” explained Peter Van der Auweraert, the acting relief coordinator for South Sudan, adding “As we mark World Humanitarian Day, we honor their memory and pay tribute to their dedication and selflessness”.
The report says humanitarian workers, mostly national staff, face severe constraints while trying to reach people in need, citing armed violence, bureaucratic impediments, operational interference, targeted violence, threats as well as looting of assets.
Most security incidents, the 2023 Aid Workers Security Report noted, were recorded in Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, Upper Nile State, Unity State, Central Equatoria State, Western Bahr el Ghazal State and the Abyei Administrative Area.
Between February and June 2023, it stressed, criminal activities, particularly ambushes, looting of commercial and humanitarian trucks and insecurity between Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area hindered the pre-positioning of supplies ahead of the rainy season, and forced a temporary halt in some humanitarian operations.
Also, the conflict in neighboring Sudan has triggered an influx of over 220,000 refugees, returnees, and third-country nationals into South Sudan since April. The overcrowding at border points, transit centers and the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Upper Nile State is likely to increase tensions and conflict over access to basic services and resources.
Further concerns were raised regarding the vulnerable returnees, particularly women, children, and the elderly, will be further exposed to protection and serious health risks.
“The lack of a conducive environment for humanitarian workers significantly affects vital life-saving support to the most vulnerable, especially now as new crises put additional strain on the already fragile humanitarian situation,” stressed Auweraert.
“The people of South Sudan and those trying to help them deserve better,” he added.
South Sudan is among the most dangerous places in the world for humanitarians, according to UN humanitarian affairs agency (OCHA), with 9 aid workers killed in 2022.
(ST)