MSF urges South Sudanese warring parties to respect humanitarian facilities

October 6, 2015 (KAMPALA) – Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, has called on the rival factions in South Sudan to respect facilities of humanitarian organizations in the country. MSF said it was forced to pull out staffs from Unity State’s Leer county this week following recent fighting between South Sudanese warring parties in the area where their facilities were looted.

Tara Well, an emergency manager said both civilians from Leer and Mayiandit counties have once again been derived of getting access to urgent needs such as medicines and humanitarian assistant after MSF compound was looted by armed men between 2 and 3 October.

“MSF strongly condemns these armed robberies of its medical personnel and facilities. These incidents have forced MSF to suspend its medical activities in Leer and they are responsible for depriving the population of urgently needed medical assistance,” said the statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.

Last Friday amid renewed clashes, MSF accused well-organized armed men of entering its compound with their weapons, intimidated MSF staffs with threat of violence and stole medical supplies, vehicles, technical equipment and personal belongings.

The medical charity explained that although their staffs were previously harassed in Leer, it continued to provide medical assistance to war-wounded patients who were receiving treatment at the time of the incident.

This is the second times MSF facilities were looted by South Sudanese warring groups. At the beginning of the conflicts, most clinics or health centres supported by humanitarian medical aids have been looted or burned.

“As a result, MSF has been forced to temporarily suspend its operations in Leer and evacuate its team. MSF staffs were not injured during the incidents and were able to provide treatment to five war-wounded patients before evacuating,” explained the statement.

MSF’s has been carrying out a lot of medical activities in Leer, which have been a vital lifeline to vulnerable populations suffering from malaria, malnutrition and other illnesses. But it said following “these unacceptable incidents,” there is no medical actor left on the ground in Leer to provide life-saving medical care.

The humanitarian organizations have been fighting hard to access southern Unity state since May although fighting and violent against civilians have forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and humanitarian actors evacuated staffs.

In July MSF was the first medical organization able to resume activities in Leer with a small medical team, which has also been providing mobile clinics for displaced populations in Leer and northern Mayendit counties.

“This is the third time MSF has been forced to suspend medical activities in Leer since conflict began in South Sudan in December 2013.” The charity medical aids said it had deep concern in terms of health for vulnerable populations in Leer.

It demanded an explanation from those responsible for the incidents and for the return of its humanitarian supplies and equipment, adding that although it was committed to providing medical assistance to the populations in Leer county, it would not resume its operations until the issue was addressed by the “appropriate authorities.”

In New York, United Nations spokesman, Dujarric, echoed the situation in Unity state during a press briefing, saying fighting was still going on despite the signed ceasefire by the warring parties.

“From South Sudan, aid agencies are concerned about fighting in Unity State which has escalated over the past days, with clashes reported around Koch and Leer,” Dujarric told journalists.

He said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had experienced intense conflict since April and there are grave concerns regarding the humanitarian condition of people trapped by the fighting.

“Aid agencies have relocated staff from Leer and humanitarian premises have apparently been looted,” he said.

He said humanitarian access is currently a major challenge in these areas and all assistance is on hold in light of the insecurity.

He however pointed out that during the week of 18-25 September, the World Food programme (WFP), UNICEF and partners delivered food, nutrition and shelter assistance to 13,000 people in Koch town and more than 6,700 people in Buaw town.

(ST)