By Awan Achiek, Juba South Sudan
South Sudan will take up the protection of aid workers following attacks over the last two months which left several injured and at least one killed, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and disaster Management, Peter Mayen Majongdit, said.
Aid workers have faced assaults across the country, from Upper Nile to the Equatoria region including in Torit, Jamjang in Ruweng Administrative Area.
One aid worker was killed in a road ambush in Budi of Eastern Equatoria on May 12, the first to be killed in 2021, according to the UN Humanitarian Coordination Office in South Sudan. The deceased identified as Clara Amono, was an employee of the CordAid organization.
The attacks are mainly perpetrated by frustrated youths “demanding employment,” Majongdit said by phone on May 17.
“The Ministry is much concerned and we are working to ensure that humanitarian workers are protected and humanitarian aids are delivered to our people and their protection is a priority of the government,” he said.
Last year, nine aid workers lost their lives in the line of duty.
