Christadelphian Samaritan Fund and€“ Médecins Sans Frontières Appeal for South Sudan

Since South Sudan seceded from the north last year, conflicts have erupted in two border states where communities traditionally allied to the south found themselves north of the border after independence.

In July the Samaritan Fund made a substantial donation to an appeal by Medecins Sans Frontieres to bring humanitarian relief to more than 100,000 Sudanese refugees who have fled Sudan since autumn 2011 to find safety in South Sudan  Upper Nile State. More than 40,000 have arrived in the last month, some have been travelling on foot for up to six weeks.

Children and women in line for water, Jamam re...
Children and women in line for water, Jamam refugee camp, South Sudan (Photo credit: Oxfam International)

Resources in the three refugee camps are dwindling fast: there is little food, no natural shelter and safe drinking water has almost run out. In addition, many people have become stranded by heavy rains in temporary camps.

The Samaritan Fund is also able to forward donations from ecclesias and brethren and sisters wishing to support this appeal.

Donations should be sent to The Samaritan Fund Treasurer, Brother Ken Smith, Westhaven House, Arleston Way, Shirley, Solihull, West Mids., B90 4LH, with a note earmarking it for the MSF South Sudan Appeal.

+++

  • Aid challenges mount in South Sudan’s Upper Nile, Unity states (devex.com)
    Seasonal rains have started to fall in South Sudan, but not to the relief of thousands of water-deprived Sudanese refugees living in camps and temporary relocation sites there.
  • In South Sudan, mortality and malnutrition data point to catastrophic situation in refugee camps (bikyamasr.com)
    New epidemiological data from two refugee camps in South Sudan show mortality and malnutrition rates soaring above emergency thresholds, announced Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today.

    Hundreds are daily pouring into the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan.

    More than 170,000 refugees have made the harrowing journey across the border to escape conflict and food insecurity in Sudan’s Blue Nile and South Kordofan States. Many had to walk for weeks and have arrived in four refugee camps in an extremely weak and vulnerable condition. In two of the camps in particular appalling living conditions are resulting in devastating health consequences. Since June, an average of five children are dying each day in Yida camp and one in three children is malnourished in Batil camp.

  • North Sudanese refugees moved due to flooding (photoblog.msnbc.msn.com)
    Over the past year repeated conflict with North Sudan, corruption scandals and economic difficulties have plagued the new country. Further problems caused by the shutdown of its oil production have led to a sharp decline in its currency and a rise in the price of food and fuel.
  • Sudan refugee crisis ‘worsening’ (bbc.co.uk)
    Violence has flared along the border since South Sudan became independent last year.
    +
    It reported that mortality rates in the Jamam camp, one of three in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, were nearly double the threshold to be considered an emergency.
  • Health Situation In South Sudan Refugee Camps Alarming (voanews.com)
    The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR reports aid agencies are racing to reverse the alarming health situation in South Sudan camps.
    +”This is a race against time basically,” said Fleming. “People are coming across in absolutely horrendous, fragile conditions.  They are extremely vulnerable and when the conditions are not fantastic when they cross the border in a place where there is huge flooding and where the food can only be airlifted in.  It is probably one of the most challenging operations for humanitarian aid workers including UNHCR that we have experienced.”
    +
    Aid agencies are setting up therapeutic feeding programs to help children recover from moderate acute to severe acute malnutrition.  Health agencies have set up surveillance centers to monitor for possible outbreaks of diarrheal and other diseases.
  • In South Sudan, water shortage puts refugees’ lives at serious threat (devex.com)
    For those with expertise in hydrogeology, MSF urgently needs your services. The medical relief charity is seeking people who could find out where to drill for water. The U.N. refugee agency has found a pair of boreholes in Camp Batil to hold promise of producing water.
  • WFP to Airdrop Tons of Food to Refugees in S. Sudan (voanews.com)
    The World Food Programsays it will soon begin air-dropping food aid to tens of thousands of refugees in South Sudan.The U.N. food assistance agency said Thursday the situation has grown dire for more than 100,000 people in Upper Nile State, including 35,000 recent arrivals.

    A refugee family from Sudan, having newly resettled in Gendrassa camp in Maban, Upper Nile State, South Sudan, on the border with Sudan, is seen August 2, 2012.
  • South Sudan’s Upper Nile Scene of Refugee Influx (voanews.com)
    One of the most critical challenges now for the UNHCR and its partners is to move the refugees away from border areas, where there are security risks.
  • Agreement opens aid pipeline (devex.com)
    Over the weekend, Sudan not only agreed to a lower transport fee for South Sudan, it also allowed aid to finally reach the rebel-held border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.Peace between Sudanese forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North remains hazy, but Khartoum agreed Saturday (Aug. 4) to allow aid agencies to deliver humanitarian relief to civilians that have been suffering from fighting in the two states. As a first step, it agreed to a “limited ceasefire” in some areas, head of the Sudanese delegation Kamal Obeid said, according to Reuters.
    +
    South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, has some of the worst human development indicators in the world, Lise Grande, U.N. humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan, told Al-Jazeera in July. Ninety-eight percent of its national budget comes from oil, according to AP. There were fears South Sudan’s economy would collapse following the oil shutdown in January, which forced the government to take austerity measures that exacerbated food insecurity and affected its education sector, among others.
  • South Sudan – new MSF mortality and malnutrition data point to catastrophic situation in refugee camps (appablog.wordpress.com)
    More than 170,000 refugees have made the harrowing journey across the border to escape conflict and food insecurity in Sudan’s Blue Nile and South Kordofan States. Many had to walk for weeks and have arrived in four refugee camps in an extremely weak and vulnerable condition. In two of the camps in particular appalling living conditions are resulting in devastating health consequences. Since June, an average of five children are dying each day in Yida camp and one in three children is malnourished in Batil camp.
    +
    “The rainy season has turned these camps into nightmare places to be a refugee,” says Bart Janssens, MSF Operations Director.

2 thoughts on “Christadelphian Samaritan Fund and€“ Médecins Sans Frontières Appeal for South Sudan

Geef een reactie - Give a reaction

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.