UNOCHA seeks $1.27bn in urgent aid for South Sudan

JUBA

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on Tuesday appealed for $1.27 billion to assist about 3.2 million people in South Sudan.

"NGOs and UN agencies need $1.27 billion to meet the most urgent need until June, including vital pre-positioning of aid supplies needed throughout the year," UN Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan Toby Lanzer told a press conference in Juba.

He urged the donors and international community to help meet the urgent needs and avail assistance to the South Sudanese people in terms of food and other necessities.

"The large increase in funding reflects the deterioration in the situation and the importance of securing sufficient supplies ahead of the rainy season," Lanzer asserted.

"We are talking of providing relief, emergency relief, upholding and strengthening people’s livelihood," he insisted.

South Sudan has been shaken by violence since mid-December, when President Salva Kiir accused Machar of standing behind a failed coup attempt against his regime.

The violence has already claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people.

Concluding a three-day visit to the country, Amos Valerie, UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said Wednesday that some 3.7 million people in South Sudan were now severely food insecure, while more than 820,000 had been displaced.

Following weeks of talks, the warring rivals signed an agreement on January 23 to end nearly six weeks of fighting.

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Aid agencies estimate that the impact of violence to date and possible clashes in the future could displace as many as one million people by June and place over 3 million people at acute or emergency risk of food insecurity.

"The program is for people in South Sudan, including displaced South Sudanese and refugees who have fled violence and are in different camps in the country," said the UN official.

"This includes the host communities receiving displaced families, refugees living in South Sudan, and other communities whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the crisis," he added.

"Assistance until June will continue to address immediate and life-threatening needs, ensure that people’s rights are upheld, and protect and strengthen livelihoods wherever possible to mitigate against longer term damage," Lanzer said.

But he underlined the need to act fast to preposition relief items in key places across South Sudan before the onset of the rains cut off accessibility.

"After June, movement will be very difficult due to the heavy rains experienced here," he told reporters.

"So, there is need to preposition key commodities in key places before the rains strike," he explained.

Lanzer warned that transporting aid during the rains will be costly.

"There is an alternative of conducting aid operations by air but it is very expensive and is something we don’t like to do," he said.

"We need to get the aids to the different places now," asserted the UN official.

"I hope donors and the international community at this time can stand in solidarity with the people of South Sudan."

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