By Bida Elly David
The Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations has estimated that over 9.4 million vulnerable South Sudanese population will need urgent life-saving assistance and protection in 2023 in comparison to 8.9 million populations in 2022.
He cited the on-going crisis that has massively impacted on citizens besides the attacks against humanitarian workers across the country being some of the factors exacerbating it.
“Estimated 9.4 million of the most vulnerable people in South Sudan will need urgent life-saving assistance and protection in 2023, compared to 8.9 million in 2022,” he said in a statement seen by No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper yesterday.
“The ongoing violent attacks against humanitarians inadvertently hamper the delivery of much needed life-saving support to millions of people affected in times of escalating conflict and exacerbated humanitarian situation” Auweraert stated further.
The humanitarian coordinator termed South Sudan as being one of the most dangerous places for aid workers following attacks against them, and confiscation of assets.
He said that one aid worker was last week beaten by crooks in GPAA following attempts to loot cash and office valuables at one of the NGOs areas.
He said that the incident transpired following the killing of two aid workers in the Abyei Administrative Area and another aid worker in Jonglei State earlier this month.
“With nine humanitarian workers killed in line of duty, and 450 incidents reported in 2022, and already three humanitarian workers killed in 2023; the government authorities need to exert much effort in protecting aid workers and civilians. It is their duty,” he said.
The UN Coordinator maintained that such attacks while humanitarians are providing critical services to most vulnerable people are beyond understanding.
He affirmed that the whole humanitarian community is united in its call for immediate end of these repeated acts of violence against civilians and humanitarians.
According to him, the direct victims of those attacks are the humanitarian workers, almost invariably South Sudanese nationals. And that the indirect victims are the most vulnerable in the communities who see the services on which they rely to survive are interrupted and sometimes suspended as was the case in some instances in the past.
South Sudan continues to be the most violent context for aid workers, followed by Afghanistan and Syria.