S. Sudan: aid agencies register 75,000 conflict-affected people

September 3, 2013 (JUBA) – About 75,000 conflict-affected people have so far registered in South Sudan’s largest state of Jonglei, with many of them reportedly displaced, the United Nations said.

Jens Laerke, an official from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said aid agencies were providing those registered with food, water, sanitation and hygiene support.

“Aid distributions had begun and agencies had reached about 55,000 people with a mix of food, water and household items such as jerry cans, soap, fishing equipment and blankets,” Laerke told a UN briefing Monday.

However, aid distribution was challenged by extremely poor road conditions and insecurity, he added.

Jonglei remains largely insecure, with agencies attributing the displacement of thousands of people and increased humanitarian need to the military offensive by government forces (SPLA) against rebel groups operating in the remote Pibor county.

In July, however, waves of inter-communal violence between the Lou Nuer and Murle communities in the area further worsened the security situation.

AID ALLOCATION

Last month, however, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated US$6 million to enable aid agencies scale up humanitarian response, mainly in Pibor. It had allocated $5.5m for similar purposes in the conflict-prone region in June.

(ST)