Sudan WES government appeals for emergency humanitarian aid for IDPs

January 19, 2009 (JUBA) – The state governor of Western Equatoria State (WES) launched an appeal for humanitarian assistance due to thousands of IDPs who have fallen victims of the LRA atrocities since joint regional operations started mid December last year.

Given the worsening humanitarian situation in the state, the governor felt that she is left with no option but to act swiftly and appeal to all levels of government in the Sudan, UN Agencies, NGOs, and the private Sector, all citizens in Sudan and in Diaspora, all well-wishers and friends of WES and to the International Community.

In a statement made during a press conference here in Juba, the state governor H.E Jemma Nunu Kumba appealed that, “I am forced to take this step at this point in time because, Ugandan rebels known as the LRA, have in recent weeks stepped up their barbaric inhuman activities against the innocent and defenseless people of the state. Atrocities committed by the LRA especially since the 14th of December 2008, border on genocide and crime against humanity, because the LRA has especially targeted civilians especially women and children.”

“Since their relocation to WES in 2006, the LRA have attacked most towns and villages in the state hacking to death over 120 people and abducting many more, especially young children. They also loot people’s property and burnt their food stores with an intention to exterminate the local inhabitants. Even SPLA soldiers in towns such as Source-Yubu, Sakure and Nabanga have on a number of occasions come under LRA attacks and endured several fatalities.”

The LRA, which stands for Lord’s Resistance Army, is a cultish guerilla band that has terrorized northern Uganda, southern Sudan and more recently DR Congo since the late 1980s. The group was thought to have been weakening in recent years after its support from the Sudanese intelligence apparatus dried up and when it agreed to negotiations mediated by Southern Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar Teny.

“The fear of the LRA has caused many villagers to abandon their homes, property, farms, and food stores to flee to towns,” said the WES governor. “The people of the state, who, during the war, were self-sufficient for their food supplies, now, have been forced to leave in misery. To make matters worst, even worse atrocities are committed by the LRA across the borders in the D.R. Congo forcing a huge influx of refugees from that country to WES. In fact recently nearly 400 persons were massacred in a church in D.R. Congo. To-date, over 8,000 Congolese refugees are being registered throughout the state, all in desperate need of food and shelter, and many more have settled with kinsmen putting too much strain on local coping mechanisms.”

Aside from those fleeing the LRA attacks, more IDPS resulted from recent cattle raids, reported the governor, explaining “the recent attacks on Mvolo County by marauding cattle raiders from Lakes State resulted in mass displacement of over 6000 people to Mvolo town.”

Kumba lamented that, “The State Government’s limited capacity to deal with a situation of such magnitude has been exhausted, hence the need for extra support. WES, normally known for its ability to sustain internal food security and even produce food surplus, is no longer the case due to continuous displacement of people from farm areas to urban centers and the presence of Congolese refugees. The problem is compounded by the fact that thousands of recently repatriated returnees of the state who fled to the Republic of Central Africa, D.R. Congo, and Northern Sudan during the war, still need to be resettled and rehabilitated.”

She specified the needs of the Congolese refugees and recently displaced citizens, as well as recently repatriated returnees: shelter, cooking utensils, water jerkins, clothes, blankets, mosquito-nets, medicines, and agricultural tools and seeds.

The statement blamed the humanitarian agencies for not acting fast or taking little to no action to help curb the looming humanitarian disaster in the region, as the IDPs continue to endure terrible misery from tropical diseases.

“Children with malaria, pneumonias and other preventable diseases have no access to medicines and medical facilities, food supplies are getting very low even for the local inhabitants, most displaced persons have no shelter and the situation is likely to get worse after the onset of the coming rain-season.” Kumba warned.

This is fist time of its kind for the authorities of Western Equatoria state to launch a major appeal for emergency humanitarian aid to bring down looming humanitarian catastrophe.

(ST)