Armed men kill aid workers, loot properties in Jonglei

January 24, 2014 (JUBA) – At least three aid workers were killed and several properties looted after unidentified armed elements stormed the premises of the United Nations and other aid agencies in South Sudan’s Jonglei state.

The violence that erupted mid-December in the capital, Juba last year killed over 1,000 people and displaced more than 500,000, according to the UN.

Several South Sudanese aid workers were reportedly wounded or are still missing after an attack by armed men on civilians sheltered in UN bases or fleeing violence.

Despite all these hiccups, aid agencies said they have continued to deliver food to the people in the base, including flying in the much-needed water and sanitation facilities.

“However, insecurity continues to pose the biggest challenge to aid efforts in Jonglei state,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.

An estimated 250,000 people, aid groups say, have so far been assisted since the conflict broke out, expressing the need to scale-up response operations amid reports of daily displacements.

$209M TO ADDRESS NEEDS

Meanwhile, a South Sudan Crisis Response Plan was last year launched in appeal for US$209 million to meet the most immediate needs of the crisis between January and March.

However, as of 13 January, aid agencies had reportedly secured around $109 million of the immediately requirements for the emergency response.

(ST).