By Philip Buda Ladu
Humanitarian situation in Upper Nile State, is deteriorating where armed clashes have displaced thousands and severely restricted access to healthcare amidst a growing cholera outbreak.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), in a press release, highlighted the urgent need for humanitarian intervention as cholera claims lives and exacerbates the dire circumstances of the displaced population.
“As people flee for safety, cholera is spreading rapidly, claiming lives and deepening the humanitarian crisis,” MSF stated in the press release.
South Sudan is enduring its worst cholera outbreak in two decades, with the country reporting about 700 deaths in a six-month period.
UNICEF said that 40,000 cholera cases were reported from the end of September to March 18, “including 694 deaths country-wide, its worst outbreak in 20 years.”
Doctors without borders teams are actively working across multiple locations in Upper Nile State, including Ulang, Malakal, and Renk counties, to deliver lifesaving care.
They are also expanding their activities along the Sobat corridor to reach more individuals affected by the ongoing violence and the cholera outbreak.
Zakaria Mwatia, MSF Head of Mission in South Sudan, called on all parties involved in the conflict to prioritize the protection of civilians, medical facilities, and humanitarian workers.
He also stressed the importance of granting unhindered humanitarian access to those in need, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
“We call on all parties to the conflict to respect and protect civilians, medical facilities, and humanitarian workers, as well as to grant unhindered humanitarian access to people being affected by the violence and cholera, in line with international humanitarian law,” said Mwatia. “As an independent medical organization, we provide care to all in need regardless of their armed or political affiliations.”
Since the beginning of March, MSF said it has treated over 400 cholera patients in Ulang and provided trauma care to more than 30 individuals wounded in the violence.
The France medical charity is also supporting local health facilities along the Sobat and Nile rivers, operating a hospital in the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Malakal, and supporting Malakal Teaching Hospital.
Furthermore, MSF stated that it has expanded its surgical services at Renk County Hospital and is providing primary healthcare to displaced people from Sudan in the refugee and returnee sites of Atham, Girbanat, and Gosfami.
Meanwhile, the cholera outbreak has also spread to neighboring Jonglei State, where MSF is operating a 100-bed cholera treatment unit at Akobo County Hospital and treating patients at the MSF hospital in Lankien.
“With cholera spreading rapidly and violence ongoing, the need for medical care in Upper Nile State is more critical than ever!” Mwatia stressed.
MSF’s operations in Upper Nile State and surrounding areas encompass a range of activities, including hospital services, primary and secondary healthcare, maternal and child health services, treatment for common diseases, surgical services, and the provision of water and sanitation facilities.
The organization is also addressing the needs of displaced populations from Sudan, refugees, returnees, and host communities.