Posted by Níall Ó Murchú in News and blog
Concern’s team in South Sudan is closely monitoring the humanitarian situation after recent violence in many parts of the country. Our head office is in Juba, where there has been heavy fighting.
Widespread violence
Since fighting erupted in mid-December, violence has swept across at least seven of the ten states of South Sudan with alarming speed.
Update
Concern is responding in two locations: Juba in Central Equatoria and Bentiu in Unity State. We are also continuing our programmes in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, which has been largely unaffected by the conflict.
We have:
- Distributed 2,297 non-food items to 2,279 households in Juba comprising of 4,309 people.
- Screened 8,479 children under five for malnutrition
- Worked with Oxfam to distribute food provided by the World Food Programme, to 10,000 people living in UN House, and a further 12,000 people in Tomping
- We are coordinating with OCHA, UN and other humanitarian charities to manage the water trucking and distribution. We have already increased the amount of water provided from less than five litres per person per day to 20 litres per person per day
- One of our water and sanitation experts is now working in Bentiu to improve the conditions for people living at the UN base there. 84 latrines have been constructed so far and more are planned
- We're also educating children about hygiene and the spread of disease
- For example: we organised a football match for children under 12 followed by a hand-washing demonstration. Each child received a hygiene pack, consisting of toothpaste, tooth brush and soap.
Meet some of the people Concern is helping.
Ceasefire
Concern Worldwide has welcomed the news of a ceasefire in South Sudan and remain committed to assisting people in need of assistance.
However, the UN estimates that 3.2 million people are in acute need of food as a result of the civil conflict. Concern's country director in South Sudan, Elke Leidel, commented on this:
"The recent violence in South Sudan has pushed the existing food insecurity crisis inside the country to devastating levels. The news from the UN that 3.7 million people are facing food shortages demonstrates the sheer scale of the disaster facing this new nation. Security conditions still prevent us from providing relief deliveries in a number of areas.
We all urgently need security conditions to return, so that humanitarian organisations can help people in desperate need and the people of South Sudan can begin to rebuild their lives."
Fighting hunger
In Juba, people will not leave the camps due to ongoing fears for their safety. Because of this, we are setting up stabilisation feeding centres in two camps in the area to ensure malnourished people get the treatment they need.
Providing clean water
In Bentiu camp in Unity, our team are focusing on constructing emergency latrines and ensuring people have access to clean, safe water.
New nation
This crisis is even more tragic in the context of South Sudan’s 2011 independence and its efforts to building a new, more stable nation. Dominic said:
"It is time for South Sudan's political leaders to return to the spirit and promises of freedom, peace and prosperity made less than three years ago when the new nation was born. It is time for increased pressure on fighters to put down the guns, allow life-saving assistance to be delivered, and clear the way for families to return home and continue rebuilding their lives, and their country, once again".
Our charity work
We’ve been working in South Sudan since 1994, focusing on health and nutrition, food and emergency response. We also focus on disaster risk reduction. Read more.