Ahead of the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, to be held in May, in Istanbul, Turkey, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, is travelling on a mission around the world to highlight his Agenda for Humanity. After heading to Ethiopia for the first leg of the mission and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the second part, he visited South Sudan, a country that has been torn by violence since December 2013.
The Secretary-General started his journey in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where he visited a school in a site for protection of civilians, located in the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission for South Sudan. The site hosts approximately 20,000 women, children and men who have been forced to flee atrocities since conflict broke out more than two years ago.
The UN Mission for Humanity continued in the town of Malakal, in the country’s northeast. The area has long been a hotspot in the history of South Sudan’s conflict: since December 2013, the town has changed hands about 12 times. Its residents have constantly been submitted to horrendous attacks, forced to flee for their lives and seek refuge in UN sites for protection of civilians.
On 17 and 18 February, the Malakal site was brutally attacked once again. At least 25 people were killed, including three aid workers, and more than 122 people were severely injured.
The Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) for Humanitarian Affairs, Kyung-wha Kang, witnessed the aftermath of this horror first hand.
An aerial view of the site shows the extent of the destruction caused by the February attacks. “Those responsible for these heinous acts must be held to account,” said ASG Kang. “This is unacceptable. The fighting must stop now. People caught in the middle must be protected and humanitarians granted immediate and unhindered access to all those who need aid and protection,” she added.
During the visit, the site’s residents organized a silent protest, demanding accountability for the international community’s shortcomings in safeguarding their lives. They also expressed hope for a peace agreement and for reconciliation among the country’s ethnicities.
The South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016 is currently only 6.5 per cent funded. This amount includes the US$21 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund, which the Secretary-General announced in Juba on 25 February. This leaves an enormous gap of nearly $1.21 billion.
Some $220 million is urgently needed to ensure that vital supplies can be procured and delivered during the dry season, before nearly 60 per cent of the country is again unreachable by road. The people of South Sudan need our support today.