The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs, (UNOCHA), on Thursday said an estimated 30,000 people from South Sudan’s Greater Pibor Administrative Area have fled their homes due to recent inter-ethnic violence, reported The VOA News.
In a statement, the UNOCHA said armed men from Jonglei state, an eastern region beset by gun violence, attacked communities in nearby Greater Pibor Administrative Area last week.
The clashes among the people of the Murle and Nuer communities have left close to 60 people dead. The violence has led to displacement of thousands of people, destruction of properties, and cattle raiding.
As per data, some 5,000 internally displaced people, including women and children, have arrived in Pibor town after fleeing the conflict-ridden areas of Gumuruk and Lekuangole in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
“People have suffered enough. Civilians — especially those most vulnerable — women, children, the elderly and the disabled — bear the brunt of this prolonged crisis,” said Sara Beysolow Nyanti, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan.
Ms Nyanti said she was deeply concerned about the continuous deterioration of people’s physical and mental well-being, living standards and coping mechanisms. She added that peace is the prerequisite for people to rebuild their lives.
The violence followed clashes last month in South Sudan’s far north that uprooted thousands in Upper Nile state.
According to the UNOCHA, around 9.4 million people will require humanitarian assistance and protection next year. An estimated 2.8 million people are expected to face physical violence, including rape and other forms of gender-based violence, and they will need protection.
International partners including the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the regional IGAD bloc, said in a joint statement Thursday that they were gravely concerned by the escalating violence.
They appealed the South Sudanese leaders to step in, stressing the need to investigate and hold accountable all perpetrators of the conflict, including those who are instigating and inciting violence.
