South Sudan: “People don’t want much, but they need safety”

©ICRC/JacobZocherman

In the 18 months that Franz Rauchenstein has headed up Red Cross relief work in South Sudan, he has seen the country brought to its knees by conflict.

The humanitarian situation has deteriorated and gross human rights abuses – sexual violence, abductions, executions – have lent the conflict a particularly nefarious edge.

Attacks against aid workers, including several against the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), have become all too regular.

Rauchenstein, who has been working with the ICRC for 22 years, knows that his job was to help alleviate the vast humanitarian crisis in the world’s newest nation.

His sense of dismay at the current situation is palpable.

“I am leaving South Sudan in a worse state now than when I started,” says Rauchenstein, whose mission has come to an end.

“There has been a clear downward spiral and I’m very sad to be leaving.”

Flying in aid

The ICRC operation in South Sudan is its second largest in the world – behind only Syria. It’s an indication of the scale of the crisis and the resources required to meet the myriad of challenges.

It is the first time in nearly 20 years that the Red Cross has resorted to airdrops to deliver aid.

©ICRC/JacobZocherman

In a country with next to no infrastructure, planes and helicopters are often the only way to reach people in remote areas.

Food shortages, particularly in conflict-affected areas, remain acute.

“People are hiding in swamps or in the bush to escape the fighting,” says Rauchenstein.

“They’re forced to eat wild fruits or in the swampy areas, water lilies, which are not very nutritious. You can survive on them, but not for very long.”

Airdrops are a very costly and sensitive procedure. The ICRC has to negotiate its access into conflict areas; it must show that it is neutral, impartial, and that the aid it intends on delivering is destined for civilians.

Since the beginning of the conflict in December 2013, the ICRC has distributed more than 1.2 million monthly food rations and provided clean water to 437,000 people.

“We’re operating very close to the front lines, so we need to get security guarantees from the warring parties,” continues Rauchenstein.

“We have to work very closely with communities and ensure that they do not get harmed as a result of us giving them assistance.”

Even war has rules

However, security guarantees made by those at the top of command hierarchies do not always reach those at lower levels.

The ICRC’s compound in Leer was looted last weekend – not for the first time. Equipment, medical supplies, money and two Red Cross vehicles were taken, while aid workers were threatened by armed men.

©ICRC

The ICRC has withdrawn its staff and a planned food distribution this month has been postponed.

“It was a very serious setback,” says Rauchenstein. “We had guarantees from both sides to operate there, so this attack came as a surprise.

“We cannot operate if we’re unable to trust armed groups. We will have to go back to them to see how this can be avoided in the future.

“Humanitarian access must be granted, but too often access and security are of constant concern.”

©ICRC/JasonStraziuso

Another profoundly worrying trait of the conflict is the human rights abuses carried out by both sides.

The ICRC will not attribute blame, but instead works with all factions to ensure they understand their obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL)

To date, 2,800 members of the armed forces or armed groups have been given training sessions on IHL by the ICRC.

The Red Cross also supports nurses in health clinics so they can provide medical and psychological help to victims.

“The challenge is that victims of sexual violence in South Sudan, as in many other countries, are stigmatised, so it’s difficult for victims to speak out,” adds Rauchenstein.

What hope?  

The face of humanitarian aid is changing, as the ICRC alluded to recently. Long-term crises have become the norm and short-term responses are no longer sufficient when dealing with protracted crises.

The longevity of the ICRC’s work in South Sudan, and the numbers behind its relief operation, are indicative of this. Since the start of the conflict, the ICRC has:

• Performed 6,500 surgeries in 15 local health facilities
• Provided tents, cooking utensils and tarpaulins to some 570,000 people
• Given antenatal care to 2,600 women
• Administered 3,600 vaccine doses to children aged under one
• Helped 3,700 people with disabilities in three physical rehabilitation centres
• Conducted 35,000 outpatient consultations

©ICRC/PawelKrzysiek

“The short term in South Sudan is helping people to survive in the midst of conflict,” says Rauchenstein.

“In the long term, it’s about addressing very serious humanitarian needs – creating a health system, rebuilding people’s livelihoods and resilience.

“Many villages and health clinics have been destroyed. It’s going to take a huge effort, not just by humanitarian actors, but also the international community.

“The South Sudanese don’t want much. They want to get back to their lives. They want their kids to go to school. They want access to health services. These are very simple wishes.

“Most of all they want safety. That’s what they need to make everything else possible.”