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South Sudan

4th Anniversary of Independence of South Sudan: Ending conflict is crucial to addressing growing humanitarian crisis

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On the 4th anniversary of the youngest state in the world, South Sudan is standing on an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. About 8 million people, two-thirds of the total population, are food insecure and as many as 3.8m going hungry. More than 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes because of the fighting, preventing thousands of people from getting the help they urgently need. Oxfam and the European Commission warn that without a political solution to achieve peace, the situation in South Sudan will worsen.

Oxfam South Sudan Country Director, Zlatko Gegic, said: “The people of South Sudan desperately need an immediate end to this war, so that they can get food and other life-saving assistance. We strongly appeal to all parties to the conflict to allow people to safely reach humanitarian assistance.”

The situation in South Sudan since the outbreak of civil war in December 2013 remains one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises. The great hopes that South Sudan had when it gained independence as the world’s newest nation in 2011 have evaporated:

  • The country celebrates its 4th anniversary with nearly 8 million people food insecure and more than 2 million forced to flee their homes due to conflict

  • Fighting prevents many people from getting the help they desperately need. Finding a political solution to establish peace is key.

  • The European Commission and Oxfam have been working in South Sudan with life-saving activities since the beginning of the conflict

People displaced by the widespread violence, have the greatest needs. More than 1.5 million people have been internally displaced. In addition, more than half a million South Sudanese have taken refuge in Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, putting additional resource constraints on these countries and having a destabilising effect on the whole region.

In their flight they are seeking food, water and shelter, as well as a safe place to live. The physical and psychological threats they have been exposed to, arising not just from the conflict but also from the violence and crime between ethnic groups, have meant entire communities have fled. People are now confronted by a combination of chronic insecurity, inhumane living conditions and a lack of protection.

Children´s crisis

The crisis is also a "children's crisis". Inside South Sudan, an estimated 248,000 children under 5 years of age are acutely malnourished. 60% of the South Sudanese refugees in the region are children and youth under 18 years old. The UN estimates that over 12,000 children have been recruited as child soldiers by armed groups in the country, which is a grave violation of international law.

Simon Mansfield, representative of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil protection department (ECHO) in South Sudan, explained: “The situation in South Sudan is extremely serious. It is one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises today. The EU has been providing substantial support including food aid, basic health care, clean water, sanitation, shelter and protection for the most vulnerable people both in the country, and to South Sudanese refugees in the region. Our team in the field coordinates the humanitarian response efforts with partner aid organizations to make sure help is timely distributed to those who need it most.”

People need help

In South Sudan, humanitarian aid is delivered in extremely challenging circumstances. Hostilities and attacks against humanitarian workers seriously constrain access to those in need. The commandeering of assets and other illegal obstructions further constrain the work of aid organisations. Moreover the coming rains will make it even harder for people to access life-saving assistance.

Simon Mansfield said: “The working environment for the provision of aid in South Sudan is extremely difficult: humanitarian access is uncertain, hardly any infrastructure exists and security is very volatile. All sides try to manipulate aid for their own purposes.”

In 2015, the European Commission is providing €120.5 million of humanitarian aid for South Sudan and the neighbouring countries affected by the crisis. The European Commission partners with UN agencies and NGOs such as Oxfam, that have been working in South Sudan since 1983. Oxfam is currently supporting over 690,000 people with humanitarian assistance including clean water, hygiene facilities, food, fuel and income support.

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1.Download a media briefing on Conflict and Food Security in South Sudan: https://www.dropbox.com/s/pq3n7h662xmuqmv/MEDIA%20BREIFING_EUsaveLIVES_%20SOUTH%20SUDAN_anniversay.pdf?dl=0

2.The number of refugees and displaced persons in the world now exceeds 59.5 million for the first time since the Second World War. The main cause is the intensification of conflicts, especially in Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. For more information: http://eusavelives.org/?lang=en#visible

3.South Sudan 4 years on:

  • Approximately two-thirds of the population is now food insecure: some 7.8 million people are in Phases 2, 3 and 4 of food insecurity.
  • 3.8 million people are currently severely hungry, expected to increase to 4.6 million (40% of the total population) by the end of July, a number bigger than ever projected.
  • 800,000 people are in emergency levels of hunger, facing extreme and dangerous food shortages. The analysis was undertaken before the recent escalation of the war, so it is expected that for thousands of people in South Sudan, the outlook is now even worse.
  • Malnutrition levels have skyrocketed with children under the age of five years, pregnant and lactating mothers being the most affected, susceptible to disease and even death. 80% of counties in Greater Upper Nile, Warrap, and Northern Bahr El Ghazal states are at a critical level of malnutrition.
  • The number of severely hungry people is expected to reduce to 2.8 million by September after the first main harvest of the season.
  • Most people are receiving some form of humanitarian food assistance. –
  • The traditional ‘lean season’ – a time when people rely on stocks - began two months early in some of the worst-off areas.
  • A report released by FAO and WFP showed an encouraging 17 percent increase in net cereal production in 2014. Gains in less conflict-affected areas must be protected.
  • Funding for longer term development programs in less conflict-affected parts of the country needs to be maintained to build resilience and protect improvements that have been made there.

For more information please contact:

Attila Kulcsar akulcsar1@oxfam.org.uk
Interim Regional Media and Communications Advisor
Oxfam - Horn, East and Central Africa
Kenya Mobile: +254 736 666 663

or

Anouk Delafortrie anouk.delafortrie@echofield.eu
Regional Information Officer
European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO)
Regional Support Office for Central, East and Southern Africa
Nairobi – Kenya

Direct +254 20 297 2301
Mobile : +254 722 791 604