KEY DEVELOPMENTS
· The security situation in South Sudan remains volatile, following clashes that erupted in the capital city, Juba, between factions within the Government of the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) on December 15. Due to the unrest, the U.S. Embassy in Juba ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. Government (USG) personnel from South Sudan. Clashes have displaced approximately 34,000 people to UNMISS bases located in Juba and Bor town, Jonglei State, since December 15.
· On December 20, USAID/OFDA activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to lead the USG response to the developing crisis in South Sudan. USAID/OFDA also stood up a Washington, D.C.-based Response Management Team (RMT) to support the DART.
· An interagency assessment conducted on December 19 by the U.N. and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) confirmed that current priority needs in South Sudan include water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); food commodities; health; and protection. Relief organizations have begun to mount a robust response to the crisis in Juba, with multiple humanitarian clusters coordinating to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance to the displaced populations residing in U.N. compounds. For example, at one UNMISS compound in Juba, partners have provided tents, constructed pit latrines, and transported clean drinking water to civilians displaced by fighting.