A total of 170 humanitarian access incidents in South Sudan were reported in the first three months of the year, mainly due to localized inter-communal violence, a UN agency said.
This shows an increase from the 144 incidents reported in the same period in 2019.
A map published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), available for download below, shows that the majority of access incidents occurred in Jonglei and Lakes States.
The UN agency said more than 113 aid workers—59 from Pibor and 23 from Nyirol in Jonglei, and 20 from Rumbek North in Lakes—were relocated as a result of escalating tensions.
According to OCHA, looting of humanitarian supplies by community members and armed youth groups during the inter-communal violence was a major setback to meet the needs of 5.6 million people targeted with assistance or protection across the country, particularly in Pibor and Rumbek counties.
It revealed that about 24 ambushes were reported across the country in the first quarter of 2020, compared to 15 incidents recorded in the same period of 2019.
“In Cueibet County, Lakes, international non-governmental organization (NGO) staff were ambushed by unidentified armed men while travelling on the Tonj-Cueibet road and two staff were seriously injured,” OCHA said.
It added, “In Pibor, one aid worker was killed at a roadblock along the Pibor-Gumuruk road manned by unknown armed youth, bringing the number of aid workers killed in South Sudan since the conflict began in 2013 to 116.”
The UN agency disclosed that humanitarian organizations continued to face pressure from authorities, particularly in several locations in Jonglei, for remittance of tax to the former 32 states.