South Sudan again topped the list of most violent countries in the world in which to deliver aid in 2017, in a report launched by the Aid Worker Security Database on Monday.
“It’s the third consecutive year that South Sudan tops the global list, underscoring the complexities in delivering aid in this war, and the impunity with which armed actors operate when attacking aid workers,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
“Aid workers are protected by international law and must not be used as pawns in South Sudan’s conflict. Violence against aid workers paralyses our lifesaving work,” said Egeland.
One hundred aid workers have lost their lives since the conflict broke out in December 2013, with South Sudanese staff at the highest risk. They often work in the hardest-to-reach locations, which can also be the most dangerous.
Conflict has meant that, on occasion, relief organizations have been forced to temporarily pull out of areas until the security situation improves, often resulting in the suspension of critical aid delivery, like food and medicine.
Food distributions are a lifeline for tens of thousands of people, and helped to reverse famine in 2017. However, food experts have pointed to the possibility of famine again this year, if access to communities on the brink of starvation is not improved.
“We are cautiously optimistic about last week’s peace deal signing. We need to see positive action now for it to materialize. The peace deal must result in improved access for humanitarians to communities caught in conflict areas,” said Egeland. “Furthermore, it must see perpetrators being held to account for attacks against aid workers.”