Ethnic clashes in South Sudan’s Jonglei state has affected more than 120,000 people.
The number has doubled and in need of emergency assistance, the United Nations humanitarian official in the country said today
Last month of December 2011, an outbreak of inter-ethnic violence earlier has left more than 40 people dead, most of them women, children and the elderly. The violence has caused an estimated tens of thousands people to flee their homes in Pibor County and resulting in casualties, destruction of property and livelihoods.
“The violence in Jonglei hasn’t stopped.” -Lise Grande, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan
Ms. Grande stated that two weeks ago, the UN launched a massive emergency operation to help 60,000 people.
Yesterday, Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Johnson urged an immediate end to the cycle of ethnic violence in the newly independent nation.
“The ongoing security crisis in Jonglei state is a test for all of us.” -Ms. Hilde Johnson
She reported that humanitarian assistance is being provided in violence-affected areas and assessments are continuing, according to a news release issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In total, South Sudan has received more than 50,000 refugees from Sudan’s Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states in recent months.
Nearly 33,000 Sudanese refugees have gone to neighbouring Ethiopia since June, most of them having the fled conflict in Blue Nile. They include more than 18,000 people hosted in two camps and a transit centre, and an estimated 14,000 living among the host community in border areas.
