Conflict hampers famine relief

Parts of South Sudan have been pushed into famine by a bloody civil that continues to escalate toward genocide, making it both difficult and extremely dangerous for humanitarian organizations to deliver life-saving assistance in the hardest-hit areas of ......

Parts of South Sudan have been pushed into famine by a bloody civil that continues to escalate toward genocide, making it both difficult and extremely dangerous for humanitarian organizations to deliver life-saving assistance in the hardest-hit areas of the world's newest and poorest country.

Unless combatants allow unfettered and secure access to areas affected by famine, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) will not be able to reach people on the brink of starvation and death.

"Areas that have been declared as in famine suffer the effects primarily of insecurity and conflict -- this is a man-made crisis," asserted Elizabeth White, an Oxfam official who is based in South Sudan's capital of Juba.

Restricted access to famine areas

"Humanitarian organizations need to be able to access communities, without the threat of violence, in order to continue providing life-saving aid and longer-term assistance," White stated in an email. "Where aid can reach vulnerable people without restriction, humanitarian assistance is saving lives and keeping famine at bay."

Similarly, Tim Irwin, a UNICEF official based in Juba, stated that the United Nations agency is having difficulty accessing certain parts of Unity state. "Many areas are unreachable due to insecurity," he agreed.

Sometimes travelling on roads in hot spots is simply too dangerous, forcing UNICEF to use alternative means of transport. "The rapid response teams go in by helicopter for up to a week, and so far that is how we have been reaching populations in need," Irwin said. "Greater humanitarian access is crucial if the situation is not to get worse."

The World Food Programme (WFP) is also having trouble accessing parts of Unity state. "The lack of humanitarian access is the main reason conditions in parts Leer and Mayendit counties have deteriorated to famine-like levels," said the WFP's George Fominyen, who is also based in South Sudan.

"Relief agencies were not able to reach people with life-saving assistance because of intense conflict and insecurity," he said. "Most of these people had fled their homes and villages to seek refuge in remote locations because they didn't feel safe."

In order to access hot spots and trouble zones, humanitarian NGOs must employ diplomacy, engaging with combatants.

"Our access negotiation teams have been working around the clock to ensure that we are able to deploy rapid response teams across the country and in Unity state," Fominyen stated. "Before the release of the food security results that reported the dire situation, our access teams had been working on ensuring we could deploy to these locations hence the deployment of our rapid response teams on the ground."

The WFP's negotiations have yielded results. "We have been able to deliver life-saving assistance in Mayendit, Koch and Leer counties, and our teams have been in Panyjiar county for several weeks now," said Fominyen.

World Vision tells a similar story. According to Perry Mansfield, national director for World Vision South Sudan, "aid agencies have been struggling to reach those areas experiencing famine due to poor infrastructure -- lack of roads, adequate aircraft and trucks, etc. -- and administrative obstacles such as flight safety assures."

It is not easy getting to the areas affected by the famine. Mansfield stated in an email that "there are roughly 90 checkpoints between Juba and Bentiu, which is in Unity state, where the famine-affected counties are located."

In addition to government check points, access to areas hard hit by famine can also be limited by "concerns for safety due to ongoing conflict and general insecurity," Mansfield stated. He said that on Feb. 28, nearly 30 humanitarian workers were forced to evacuate one of the counties affected by the famine due to security concerns.

World Vision is "particularly concerned" that ongoing fighting and the resultant lack of access to some areas in the western part of former Upper Nile state will exacerbate the crisis, causing greater food insecurity. "Nearly half the country is going hungry, or classified as severely food insecure," he added.

Security precautions

According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 79 humanitarian workers have been killed in South Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict in December 2013. In the worst attack thus far, six humanitarian workers were killed in an ambush on March 25 as they travelled from the capital city of Juba to Pibor.

"World Vision takes very seriously the safety of its staff," Mansfield said in response to a question about security measures to protect its workers in South Sudan. "All staff are security trained, we have full-time security and safety personnel who are continuously analyzing threats and advising staff and management."

In addition, Mansfield said that World Vision's staffers "are equipped with emergency supplies, and telecommunications equipment." And he pointed out that the Christian NGO has been working in South Sudan for 30 years and is "well versed in the risks facing staff."

"Our first line of defence to ensure the safety of staff is building good relationships the people and the communities we serve," Mansfield said. "Communities value World Vision and often serve as our best protection." And he noted that 92 per cent of World Vision staffers in the country are South Sudanese, which he claims enhances the NGO's "connections with communities and local leadership, therefore providing added protection to our teams."

Is the WFP taking special precautions to ensure the safety of staffers on the ground? "The safety of our staff is of utmost importance to the World Food Programme," Fominyen insisted. "We ensure that before they are deployed, we conduct adequate access negotiations to have all parties understand that they are humanitarians coming to provide assistance to civilians who need support."

Moreover, the WFP official says that the NGO has operational plans on how to pull staff out of hot spots "should the security situation deteriorate."

UNICEF is also concerned about the security situation in South Sudan. "Staff safety is always a primary consideration to ensure that the humanitarian response can continue," Irwin said. "We work closely with other UN agencies and the UN mission in South Sudan to monitor field access and respond to any potential risks."

Similarly, "Oxfam takes the safety of its staff very seriously at all times," Elizabeth White said. "We are constantly evaluating the security where we are operating and taking necessary measures, balancing the inherent risks of working in a conflict setting with the urgent need of the communities we support."

The least that the community of nations can do to help the people of South Sudan is to pressure both government forces and rebel groups to grant safe passage to humanitarian organizations travelling to and from famine zones.

Follow Geoffrey P. Johnston on Twitter @GeoffyPJohnston.

The Kingston Whig-Standard 2017 ©