Emergency Chief Alarmed By The South Sudanese Crisis The United Nations Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Ms Valerie Amos has said the violence and abuses witnessed in just six weeks of political unrest threatens the future of the new nation. 29 January 2014 Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos (right) talking to Toby Lanzer, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan. [UN photo]
By Francis Lagu She made the remark to press on Wednesday after visiting Malakal in Upper Nile on Tuesday. She said thousands of people in Malakal town are without food, water and medical care and are in dire need of assistance. "The WFP, IOM and UNICEF warehouses have been looted and assets damaged. Tens of thousands of people in Malakal town are in need of help. Because of the looting, we cannot help as much as we would want to," she told the press in Juba today. According to the USG, the Aid workers have been subjected to harsh situations with at least three of them killed and 106 others (aid workers) were prevented from relocating from Yirol in Lakes State to Juba. Ms Amos said 3.7m people are now severely food insecure but according to her aid agencies have at least been able to assist over 300,000 people in need. "Yesterday I went Malakal in Upper Nile State. I saw people in dire circumstances with no food, in conditions with proper sanitation and without water," said Ms Amos. "Children don't go to school and health needs continue to arise. I met women who had walked for days looking for protection and assistance. People say they have been targeted and abused because of their ethnicity or political affiliation," Valerie Amos said. The violence and abuses we have seen since the 15 of December threatens the future of this young county, Amos added. According to Ms Amos 702, 000 people have been displaced since the violence started on 15 December and another 123,400 have fled the country into neighbouring countries mainly Uganda, Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia. Food, medical and protection of civilians from targeted killing according to Amos are the immediate needs of the displaced persons. Ms Amos couldn't ascertain the number of people killed during the over month of hostilities in the new nation but said: "One person killed is one too many." The UN has given a figure of over 1, 000 for those killed but some late figures show about the 10, 000 people have been killed since the armed political conflict pitting the loyalists of President Salva Kiir against those of his former deputy Riek Machar started mid-last month. Despite the worrying humanitarian challenges, Ms Amos said she is encouraged by the signing of the Cessation of hostilities agreement between the government and anti-government forces last month. Posted in: Home<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/1/Home.aspx> , Foreign Relations<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/5/Foreign-Relations.aspx> , Humanitarian<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/8/Humanitarian.aspx> , Foreign Aid/Assistance<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/30/Foreign-AidAssistance.aspx> , Featured Stories<http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/137/Featured-Stories.aspx> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14oqmidcMnO6pcHDkTX11%2BMLWMBb74Q7B%3D0vAR9Y%3DOiSYEA%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
