Al landsens ulykker har ramt Afrikas nyeste nation, som ifølge FNs chef for fredsbevarende aktioner er så kriseramt, at omfanget af de humanitære hjælpeaktioner er de største i noget land i verden – taler om lidelser man “ikke kan forestille sig”.
NEW YORK, 6 August 2014 (UN News Service): A senior United Nations peacekeeping official Wednesday warned that after just three years of independence, South Sudan is now on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe and a protracted internal conflict.
Briefing the Security Council on the situation there, Assistant Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations, Edmond Mulet urged the international community to “caution all parties with one voice on the consequences of impeding the peace process.”
An estimated 1.5 million people have been uprooted in fighting that started with a political impasse in mid-December 2013 between President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar.
The conflict also sent nearly 100,000 civilians fleeing to UN bases around the country.
“This is a man-made crisis and those responsible for it have been far too slow in resolving it. Both sides continue to believe they can achieve more through the pursuit of a military option,” Mr. Mulet said.
Kæmpe-operation, alligevel et kapløb med tiden
He explained that clashes between militia groups continue to intensify causing unimaginable suffering to the South Sudanese people.
“The scale of humanitarian operations in South Sudan has reached the point that it now constitutes the biggest aid operation inside any single country. However, the capacity and funding of the humanitarian operation falls far short in the face of overwhelming needs”, noted he.
Some 3.9 million civilians are facing alarming levels of food insecurity, amidst growing concerns of a famine. Meanwhile, among the more than million people have been internally displaced by violence, some 434,000 have fled across borders.
Up to 50,000 children are at risk of dying as a consequence of acute malnutrition this year alone. And the cholera epidemic continues to grow with more than 5,300 cases and 115 deaths.
Mere kamp om sparsomme ressourcer
While humanitarian assistance has reached some 2.4 million people, aid efforts have been hampered by insecurity, obstructed access, and insufficient funding.
Mr. Mulet warned that the deteriorating humanitarian situation also carries with it security implications as communities begin to compete for diminishing resources.
To make the situation even worse, militia are targeting aid workers. On Monday, five South Sudanese humanitarian workers of Nuer ethnicity were killed by a community-based self-defence militia calling itself the Mabanese Defence Forces.
Læs videre på http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48427#.U-K8JmVqr4s
Begynd fra: “Further, recent fighting in Upper Nile state has also forced UN….”
Se også telegrammet
http://www.u-landsnyt.dk/nyhed/05-08-14/fn-afg-rende-sydsudans-militser-kommer-under-kontr
