Humanitarian organizations in Juba today held a minute of silence at 2 p.m. on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day to honor their colleagues killed or harmed by violence in South Sudan.
The silence pays tribute to colleagues who have lost their lives in humanitarian service, as well as to those who are staying and delivering assistance, and those affected by attacks against aid workers.
Fifty-nine (59) aid workers have lost their lives since December 2013 when the civil war began.
In a petition online also to mark the occasion, many aid workers including some working in South Sudan expressed solidarity with the victims of the recent attack on Terrain Hotel in Juba, where one journalist was shot dead and several aid workers were threatened with death, beaten and gang-raped.
The petition praises the aid workers who were at Terrain for their courage as survivors of these horrors.
“On World Humanitarian Day, 19 August 2016, we stand with the survivors of the Terrain attack, who have exhibited incredible courage despite suffering immense trauma. We stand with the thousands of humanitarian workers and other civilian survivors of violence in crises worldwide.”
The petition also accuses donors, international organizations and the UN of “a culture of silence and dishonesty” around the dangers facing aid workers, saying their response to violence against aid workers has been inadequate.