The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Albino Akol Atak has apologized for the violent attacks against humanitarian workers.
“The ministry takes this opportunity to apologize for these very unfortunate and senseless incidents and for the loss of lives of innocent peoples who were providing humanitarian services,” Akol told journalists in Juba on Wednesday.
This came in the aftermath gunmen killing a truck driver last week in Pibor who was transporting food on behalf of the World Food Programme (WFP) to Bor.
Akol said they are determined to provide adequate security for the safe delivery of humanitarian deliveries and assets to various destinations in the country.
“As government we acknowledge that protection of humanitarian supplies and safety of humanitarian workers is our prime responsibility given the recurrent nature of this problem, we are determine to address this mater holistically by looking at the main drivers of insecurity and coordinate with various security agencies to take appropriate measures,” he said.
Three humanitarian aid workers were killed on March 17, 2023 in Jonglei state outside Bor town in what is described by UNOCHA as the latest in a series of escalating incidents targeting convoys and aid workers in the country.
The WFP temporarily halted movement of their truck convoys out of Bor due to the attack.
Atak said that the government has called upon all security institutions to help facilitate and create enabling environment by allowing delivery of humanitarian services to vulnerable communities without hindrances.
“It is in our interest to see that humanitarian operations run smoothly and as safe as possible. We would also like to take this opportunity to tank donors for their generosity and good will and assure them their resources donations will be delivered to the intended population as promised,” he said.
