Humanitarian conditions worsen in Greater Upper Nile

In Pibor County, an absence of basic necessities has been decried by members of the Murle group, who have repeatedly clashed with ethnic Lou Nuer and called for intervention by the South Sudanese government and humanitarian organisations.

Rev. Joseph Moti at Pibor market.Security has since improved, said Rev. Joseph Moti of the Pibor Presbyterian Church, but a lack of food for many wounded and those whose cattle were stolen poses a new emergency.   
 
There is no food, no shelter and no medicine,” he said.  Many people are suffering.”

Two months after South Sudan’s independence from the north, setbacks in security and strained relations with Khartoum are hampering efforts to diversify development in the new nation.   

According to humanitarian agencies working in South Sudan, retaliatory attacks among ethnic Murle, Dinka, and Lou Nuer groups since April have left hundreds dead and displaced nearly 1,000.

UN, SPLA launch joint efforts

UN Peacekeeping Commander with SPLA Commander, Pibor County.In an effort to prevent continued inter-communal clashes, the UN and South Sudan’s national military, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), have begun a joint patrol of the affected areas.

The UN said out of 7,000 peacekeepers to be deployed in areas with daily incidents of ethnic strife, at least 4,000 will be sent to Jonglei State, the region worst affected by the clashes.

We are moving all over the state to assess the situation and to have early warnings in order to react,” Commander of the UN peacekeeping troops Moses Obi told reporters Wednesday in Pibor, a county where over 600 people were killed last month in an attack allegedly instigated by members of the Lou Nuer group.

Moses Obi, UN Peacekeeping Commander.Troops were recently deployed to Lukwangole, a district in Pibor, and now a series of deployments are underway through the whole state, according to Obi.

Given tensions that are still running high, Obi added: This is to ensure that we have presence on ground to help the government deter violence in support of efforts we put toward mediation.”

He said the SPLA is also deploying two battalions so that collectively, we are able to address this issue of violence.”

Security has improved, but provisions are scarce.Local and government authorities have expressed confidence in the deployment of the UN peacekeepers, saying their presence is significant to the protection of civilians and provision of security.

Since the deployment of the UN troops, we have noticed a great difference in stability,” said Joshua Konyi, SPLA Commander in Pibor County.

However, he added that logistical problems restrict SPLA access to some areas.