IOM constructs tented camps for displaced populations in South Sudan
Article
Comments (0)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
facebookmyspacetwitterbuzzyahoo
February 9, 2016 (JUBA) – The International Organization for Migration
(IOM), an international organization operating in South Sudan, has
come up with a new idea to construct light base camps with tents in
order to effectively provide humanitarian assistance to populations
being displaced in South Sudan’s conflict zones.
JPEG - 20.4 kb
People gather at a makeshift camp for displaced people at a UN
compound in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, on 22 December 2013 amid
fears for further violence (Photo: AFP/Tony Karumba)
In order to increase the humanitarian presence in deep-field locations
in South Sudan, IOM said it would construct such camps in the mostly
affected states such as in Unity, Upper Nile, Lakes and Jonglei in
partnership with the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP), a
voluntary network of seven European emergency management agencies.
“Accessing households in hard-to-reach areas is critical. As the
crisis persists, families across the country are exhausting their
coping mechanisms, experiencing multiple displacements and facing
severe food insecurity. The light base camps are helping the
humanitarian community to expand its reach to these communities,” said
IOM South Sudan Chief of Mission, David Derthick, in a statement
extended to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.
The statement said despite the signing of a peace agreement in August
2015, insecurity and humanitarian needs continue to drive displacement
in South Sudan, where an estimated 1.69 million people are internally
displaced. The majority of these are living in remote areas beyond
displacement camps as both government and opposition forces displace
them.
The light base camps allow relief workers to remain in areas of need
for longer periods of time and support consistent humanitarian access.
The tented camps provide accommodation and office space, as well as
solar-powered electricity and sanitation facilities. IHP engineers and
IOM technicians deploy and set up each camp, which is individually
managed by a host organization.
Last month, IHP and IOM completed a light base camp in Melut, Upper
Nile, to host nearly 40 humanitarian staff working in the nearby UN
protection of civilians (PoC) site and other remote areas of Melut.
IHP and IOM teams are preparing to construct camps in other areas,
including Unity’s Leer and Koch counties and in Upper Nile’s Wau
Shilluk, where IOM recently registered more than 20,400 internally
displaced persons (IDPs) and host community members.
For instance, the report cited that due to restricted access to Wau
Shilluk during much of 2015, thousands of families fled to the nearby
PoC site in Malakal in search of food and other relief assistance in
July and August. Since access to Wau Shilluk opened in October, many
IDPs have returned.
“As such, the light base camp will enable sustained and effective
relief operations that reach the communities where they live,” it
said.
To further extend humanitarian aid in areas far from UN PoC sites, IOM
also deploys frontline response teams. IOM technical staff travel to
displaced and host communities to provide lifesaving health assistance
and shelter and households supplies, as well as improved water,
sanitation and hygiene (WASH) conditions.
Recent rapid respond operations provided WASH assistance in Lakes and
Jonglei and helped communities in Wau Shilluk to rebuild shelters. IOM
is also continuing its humanitarian operations for IDPs seeking
protection in UN PoC sites.
“While the population is stable in most sites, the Bentiu PoC in Unity
state continues to receive new arrivals, with over 1,700 IDPs arriving
last week alone,” it further observed.
(ST)
--
To post to this group, send email to [email protected]
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected]
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/southsudankob
View this message at
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/southsudankob/topic-id/message-id
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout
---
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 https://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob.
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14ooPq0RjAYOHFA%3DWFoPo4uveeJ0CtYutiyuM3-aSfVRj6Q%40mail.gmail.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
