Aid agency decries hostile conditions in South Sudan following clashes

By OSINDE OBARE

South Sudan: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders have expressed concerns over the deteriorating security conditions for aid organisations across South Sudan.

The organisation says the three weeks of fighting throughout much of South Sudan has increasingly serious consequences for the country’s population.

MSF, which has remained committed to continuing to provide assistance in South Sudan, is urging all parties to the conflict to respect its medical facilities and staff and to allow people to access medical care, irrespective of their origin or ethnicity.

The organisation observes that the instability is hindering the aid response and the departure of many international organisations have increased people’s needs and made resources scarce.

International organisations

“With the increase in people’s needs, with resources are more scarce following the departure of many international organisations, and with instability hindering the aid response, what was already a difficult situation has become even worse,” says MSF.

Raphael Gorgeu, the MSF’s head of mission in South Sudan said thousands of displaced and wounded people across the country have become vulnerable.

“Highly vulnerable people have just become even more vulnerable. We don’t know what will happen to the thousands of displaced and wounded people across the country,” says the official in a statement.

Even before the recent fighting broke out in December, 80 per cent of healthcare and basic services in South Sudan were provided by non-governmental organisations.

“Today, there is a high risk of epidemics and if the fighting prevents us from gaining rapid and safe access to people in need — especially to pregnant women and children — conditions will quickly deteriorate,” warns Mr Gorgeu.

MSF’s emergency teams are currently working in Juba, Awerial and Malakal providing medical care to more than 110,000 people displaced from their homes by the fighting.

Gorgeu said MSF is continuing wherever possible to run its much-needed regular medical projects across the country, despite the current instability and despite shortages of drugs to treat patients and fuel to run generators.

Conflict victims

The official says that during the past three weeks, MSF medical teams have provided 26,320 consultations, admitted 1,014 patients to its medical facilities, treated 426 people with gunshot wounds and carried out 126 surgeries.

MSF teams have also delivered more than 40 tonnes of medical and logistical supplies to its projects.

Before the crisis, people in South Sudan had limited access to healthcare, with most pregnant women unable to give birth in medical facilities, as they had very limited medical facilities.

Gorgeu disclosed the organisation has set up three additional emergency operations in Juba, Awerial and Malakal to respond to large-scale displacement, refugee influxes, alarming nutrition situation and peaks of diseases such as measles and malaria.