The Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Eugene Owusu, has reported that the security situation in Leer County has improved allowing aid groups to deliver more aid, but he still called the situation in Unity State “extremely worrying.”
Owusu made these statements after visiting Leer Town and Thonyor in southern Unity State on 6 January, accompanied by aid workers and representatives of UN, NGOs and donors.
Since fighting broke out in Unity State in April 2015, humanitarian presence in Leer County had been intermittent due to insecurity, with several locations inaccessible for months at a time. “Civilians in these areas have suffered tremendously and food insecurity and malnutrition are extremely high,” said Owusu.
“We are happy that the guns are silent and that the improved security situation has allowed us to provide urgently needed assistance to people in Leer County since early December,” he added. “It is absolutely critical that the current stability be maintained so that we can continue to deliver life-saving aid in the months ahead.”
Civilians said they had survived for about seven months hiding in swampy areas and eating wild fruits, according to a press release by OCHA today. They told the delegation that homes had been burned, people killed and livelihoods destroyed during the fighting.
“We don’t want to run anymore. We are happy that there is peace now,” said a man in Leer Town.
Since humanitarian partners returned to Leer County in early December, they have provided food and survival kits containing critical household items, such as mosquito nets and kitchen sets, conducted health consultations, repaired boreholes, established nutritional programs, and undertaken protection activities.
The Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) results published in October 2015 emphasized that the delivery of ongoing humanitarian assistance is vital to avert the further deterioration of the food insecurity and malnutrition situation in Unity State, where an estimated 40,000 people were expected to be facing catastrophic food insecurity as of October.
Photo: People lined up to receive non-food items in Thornyor, Leer County, December 2015 (UNMISS)