The humanitarian crisis stemming from widespread fighting in South Sudan is rapidly becoming a regional issue but is failing to get the attention it deserves, ACT members working in neighbouring Ethiopia say.
All 11 members in Ethiopia say the growing emergency needs greater awareness in the international community and more funding for relief aid.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNOCHA, says the number of people forced to flee the fighting has topped 1 million since fighting began in mid-December. Of that number, 270,000 people have taken shelter in neighbouring countries.
With the heavy influx to Ethiopia continuing, the expected number of South Sudanese refugees in Gambella region increased to 200,000 people, up from 150,000 just last week.
The government and humanitarian agencies fear a spike in malnutrition in the country given the slow distribution rate of food and the critical shortfall of supplementary feeding programmes, UNOCHA reports.
Conflict out of the international spotlight
ACT in Ethiopia says the crisis in South Sudan now affects the entire Horn of Africa and east Africa region. It gets little media coverage.
“Regretfully, the international community is not responding to South Sudan and media attention to it is now almost non-existent,” the members said in a statement.
Camps in Ethiopia are over-stretched, with new areas of land being opened up for extensions or new camps. A sharp increase in displacement is expected when the dry season begins. Refugees are arriving in increasingly poor condition, having had to spend long periods fleeing and surviving on only grass, wild fruit and leaves.
The Lutheran World Federation has started building permanent water supplies at Leitchor camp, which has capacity for 20,000 people but which houses nearly twice that number. Authorities plan to drain nearby marsh land to accommodate another 25,000 new arrivals. However, since the ACT Ethiopia appeal for assistance to refugees in Leitchor was issued in February, it has received no funding for other life-saving work.
“South Sudan risks sliding into anarchy”
At the same time, South Sudanese church leaders have condemned the ongoing fighting, issuing a strongly-worded statement, Stop the War Now!
The country risks sliding into ‘anarchy and genocide’ unless face-to-face peace talks are held between government and opposition forces immediately, they say. Without a ceasefire and with the arrival of the rainy season, negotiations need to resume before conditions for South Sudanese worsen.
With an immediate end to the war, peace talks could resume, displaced people could receive humanitarian aid and refugees could return home, the leaders say.
Mediators from the East African bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, which is brokering talks between the government and the opposition, must organise meetings between the parties. The peace process must include the views of all sectors of society.
“In spite of the pain in our hearts over the ongoing crisis in our country, we remain steadfast in hope, faith and vision for the unity of our country and people,” the statement says. “We commit ourselves to serious (and) genuine truth, reconciliation and healing processes in the country.”
ACT Alliance General Secretary John Nduna said the conflict risked becoming protracted if efforts were not stepped up immediately to stop the fighting and ensure the peace process resumed.
“We’ve seen time and again that swift action to stop conflict early on is needed. Nothing will be resolved with guns and terror. Over a million people have had to flee the war and yet we see little interest from the international community.
“I ask our donors to please support the four ACT appeals bringing relief to the people trapped in this conflict.”
If fully funded, the $9.2m ACT appeal for displaced people within South Sudan would fund life-saving essentials, such as food and other relief items, emergency health care, hygiene and sanitation facilities, emergency education, shelter and recovery and reintegration services. The appeal is held in tandem with appeals for refugee assistance in neighbouring Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda.
Communications material from ACT members in Ethiopia is available here