Threat of diseases among displaced from Abyei Article Comments (0) Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 13, 2011 (TURALEI) - Authorities state hosting the majority of the internally displaced persons (IDP) from the conflict-ridden region of Abyei on Monday expressed fears of the spread of contagious diseases. Atong Aken, age 9, weeps while clutching a suitcase in a makeshift internally displaced persons camps in Mayan Abun,southern Sudan on Thursday May 26, 2011. (AP) Clashes between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) controlled by government in Khartoum and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) component of the Joint Integrated Units (JIU) and local police in the area have displaced what the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) estimates as 150,000 people , creating a dire need for water, sanitation and other essentials. Most of the IDPs who have sought refuge either with families and friends or relatives have camped in the open in secure, but remote, villages with very limited or no access to safe drinking water, sanitation and other basic living facilities in four neighbouring states of Unity, Warrap, and North and Western Bahr el Ghazal. The IDPs were forced to flee around 33 villages in the Abyei area. In interviews with Sudan Tribune on 13 June 2011 IDPs in the Turalei catholic compound described their circumstances. “We are facing too many problems... it is rainy seasons and there are rains. The weather is sometimes cool when it has rained. We are afraid of possible disease outbreaks,” Deng Mawien, a representative of the IDPs, told Sudan Tribune on Monday. He warned that diarrheal diseases could spread rapidly unless people were helped to resolve sanitation problems. Dominic Deng Kuoc Malek, Twic county commissioner, told Sudan Tribune that there were basic health care facilities in his county, but they would not be able to cope if any major outbreak happened. GoSS, in cooperation with international relief organisations, have delivered a lot of relief materials, including medicines and non-food items, but the IDPs say they need more. “This is very important because many of the IDPs fled their homes with only the clothes on their backs. They did not have an opportunity to collect any. The town was taken by surprise. Nobody had expected military taking over,” explained Malek. The majority of the IDPs interviewed expressed their readiness to return home once the security situation is normalised but some expressed their fear for the future. “Abyei will never be stable. The government in the north will never honour its promises. It will never live up its commitment. It is the government that is known for reneging on compromises. What they say is not what they do. They say one thing and do another. So there will never be stability in the area if no international forces deployed at the border areas”, said Riing Majak, an ex-official with the Abyei administration (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
