The Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan has called for a joint action to address the humanitarian crisis in the country that is being exacerbated by continuous attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers.
“It takes a village to raise a child. In the same way, it takes an array of partners to support crisis-affected people. We need urgent collective efforts to help the vulnerable population in South Sudan,” Sara Beysolow Nyanti told Journalists in Juba on Thursday ahead of the celebration of World Humanitarian Day on Aug.19.
Her remarks follow the killing of two aid workers last week in Ikotos County of Eastern Equatoria State.
Nyanti said that South Sudan continues to be the most violent context for aid workers, followed by Afghanistan and Syria.
“232 incidents related to humanitarian access constraints were reported between 1 January and 30 July this year, and five humanitarian workers were killed in the line of duty in South Sudan since the beginning of 2022” she said.
She said that since 2013 about 134 aid workers got killed in South Sudan.
Nyanti expressed gratitude, appreciations and respect to the aid workers, communities, local authorities and first responders that provide life-saving assistance to thousands of people experiencing dire humanitarian needs.
“I commend the humanitarian workers and all those risking their own lives to alleviate the suffering and save the lives of others,” she said.
Nyanti added that to date in 2022, the areas where humanitarian access constraints were highest include, Jonglei and Central Equatoria States which accounted for 40 percent of all reported incidents since the beginning of the year.
“These critical protection risks are compounded by rule of law and access to justice deficits. Impunity is a perpetuating factor and a driver of conflict and insecurity. There is an urgent need to bring perpetrators to justice. We need strengthened joint action, multidimensional dialogue, and engagement to address this,” she said.
She called upon the community to engage youth to shun sub-national violence that affects the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need.
The World Humanitarian Day, marked each year on 19 August, commemorates humanitarian workers who have been killed and injured in the course of their work, and honors those who continue to take risks every day to provide life-saving assistance to people who need it.
