South Sudan: UNHCR reaches 1,200 vulnerable IDPs in Western Bahr al Ghazal

JUBA, 16 May 2016 (UNHCR) - In April, UNHCR provided sanitary pads, blankets and kitchen sets to some 1,200 vulnerable women in Mboro, Western Bahr Al Ghazal, as part of an inter-agency response to 5,000 internally displaced people (IDP) from Wau County.

Many of them were displaced multiple times between late November 2015 and January this year due to fighting between Sudan’s People Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers and armed elements in the outskirts of Wau.

Among them was disabled 26-year-old Kilelia, forced into a wheelchair since her birth. “My husband dragged me to safety when our village was attacked,” she said. Together with her three children and husband, Kilelia took refuge in Mboro Catholic Church. But after two weeks, she continued, “we had move again as houses were being burnt and looted just a few kilometers away.”

Kilelia and her family fled to the bush with nothing but the clothes on their back. They lived in hiding for nearly two months until UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies were allowed access to Mboro in April, after several failed attempts since late 2015. An inter-agency assessment, carried out on the 7th of April, put the number of IDPs in the area to 8,000.

After two weeks, humanitarian agencies including UNHCR responded with food and non-food assistance. Until then, said Kilelia, “we slept in the open and survived on wild plants and fruits.” She added that her children have been particularly affected by the conflict. “I hope we can get our lives back and that my children be able to go back to school soon.”

In line with its protection mandate, UNHCR continues to identify and assist some of the most vulnerable IDPs in South Sudan. So far this year, through protection monitoring and delivery, tens of thousands of vulnerable IDPs received assistance from UNHCR across the country.

Rocco NuriBorn in Italy, Rocco joined UNHCR in 2008 and currently works with the media to advocate for refugees and internally displaced people in South Sudan. He previously worked for the International Organization for Migration in Lebanon, and an NGO in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In 2011, he received UNHCR’s Award for Excellence in Field Service.