Victims of violence assisted in South Sudan

Red Cross steps in to assist victims of violence in South Sudan

Published: 12 January 2014

Nairobi, Kenya 10 January 2014: More than 1,000 people have been reportedly killed and above 200,000 displaced in South Sudan following violence that has rocked the country over the past month. To date, an estimated 30,000 people have fled to Uganda, 4,000 to Kenya, 2,670 to Sudan and 5,300 to Ethiopia.

From the onset of the violence, the South Sudan Red Cross Society responded by deploying 60 volunteers and staff to hospitals in Juba where they were engaged in receiving casualties and assisting medical personnel. The South Sudan Red Cross is coordinating its activities with its Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners, as well as other humanitarian organizations in the country.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has also stepped in to complement the efforts of the South Sudan Red Cross Society in assisting an estimated 40,000 people in Awerial and Juba who have been affected by the violence. In the coming days, IFRC will send 2,000 family kits containing kitchen sets, tarpaulins, sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets, buckets, soap and water purification solution to South Sudan to help improve living conditions and prevent the spread of disease for the displaced persons.

“Displaced people are staying in squalid conditions with inadequate shelter and lack of clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. Communicable diseases are likely to be a major cause of mortality in these temporary settlements where there is potential for an increase in water-borne diseases,” said Finn Jarle-Rode, IFRC Regional Representative, Eastern Africa. “Community awareness and health education is low, further exacerbating risks.”

IFRC will support the South Sudan Red Cross and in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), will conduct health and hygiene promotion and manage water points. Volunteers from the South Sudan Red Cross will continuously monitor and assess the health, water, sanitation and hygiene situation. Special attention will be given to the vulnerable, particularly pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, young children and the elderly.

ENDS

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