IOM calls for political solution to avert humanitarian catastrophe in
South Sudan
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October 4, 2016 (JUBA) – The International Organization for Migration
(IOM) said humanitarian situation in South Sudan is deteriorating
following the resumption of war in the country, saying civilians have
been displaced by the ongoing violence.
JPEG - 62 kb
IOM and partners help Jamam camp residents board buses to Kaya (photo
credit: IOM)
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, IOM said there was need for a
political solution to the renewed violence between forces loyal to
President Salva Kiir and those loyal to his former deputy, Riek
Machar.
“With daily reports of violence and worsening tensions, a political
solution is urgently needed to mitigate the increasing suffering of
civilians in South Sudan,” said IOM East Africa Regional Director,
Jeffrey Labovitz.
“To address the growing needs of those forced to flee their homes and
the host communities that receive them, the regional humanitarian
response requires long-term planning, improved access to civilians
caught up in the conflict, and sustained efforts to secure freedom of
movement for those forced to flee across borders,” he added.
Over 894,800 South Sudanese have fled to neighbouring countries,
including Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda, since civil war broke out
in South Sudan in 2013, according to UNHCR. Of these, more than
185,000 South Sudanese have fled since fresh fighting broke out in the
capital, Juba, on 8 July.
An additional 1.61 million people, the statement said, are displaced
within South Sudan’s borders, both to displacement sites and remote,
often hard-to-reach, areas.
In Ethiopia, it said, the influx of South Sudanese refugees in recent
months is placing strain on existing resources. IOM is currently
assisting with the relocation of refugees from the transit centre in
Pagak, on the South Sudan border, to camps in Jewi, Tierkidi and Kule
in the Gambella region. Since 9 September, IOM has relocated 23,954
refugees, mostly women and children.
IOM ASSISTANCE
IOM, according to the statement, is working closely with governments,
communities and partners in the region to provide humanitarian
assistance and develop sustainable strategies to address complex
protracted displacement, such as in South Sudan.
The organization also responded to the influx of refugees into Sudan,
which has received approximately 90,000 South Sudanese refugees since
mid-January, including 54,400 people to East Darfur State, according
to UNHCR figures.
“In Sudan’s East Darfur, South Darfur, West Kordofan and South
Kordofan states, IOM is providing water, sanitation and hygiene
assistance to refugees, as well as monitoring and registering new
arrivals through the Displacement Tracking Matrix,” it said.
It is also establishing a mobile clinic to improve access to
lifesaving health care for more than 4,200 refugees, as well as host
community members, in East Darfur.
IOM continues to implement a multi-sector humanitarian response in
South Sudan, where more than 6.1 million people are in need of
lifesaving assistance.
The statement said as needs continue to increase, humanitarian workers
are facing growing access constraints, hindering their ability to
reach conflict-affected populations in many parts of the country.
(ST)
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