Clashes in Koch county of Unity State on July 18th and 19th killed one aid worker and at least 9 civilians were reportedly wounded, OCHA said in a recent report.
The death follows fighting in Leer on July 13th, which forced about 350 people including aid workers, to shelter at the UNMISS base.
“Humanitarian partners are informed that thousands of civilians have been displaced by the clashes, many of whom have fled into the swamps in search of safety. These areas of Unity were amongst the hardest-hit by fighting during the offensive which took place in 2015” the OCHA report said. “Malnutrition rates remain alarming across Unity, with the Global Acute Malnutrition rate estimated to be 26.2 per cent,”
Thousands flee to Uganda
Nearly 26,500 people have fled to Uganda since fighting erupted in Juba on July 7th, and more than 8,000 people fled on July 21st — “the largest number to arrive in a single day in the last two years” OCHA said.
“More than 90 per cent of the new arrivals were women and children. Many had walked for days carrying belongings, and partners report that people arrived tired and hungry” the report continued.
The outflow of civilians follows clashes across Yei River State.