South Sudan: Humanitarian Snapshot (October 2023)

KEY HUMANITARIAN ACCESS HIGHLIGHTS

One off-duty humanitarian worker was killed in Upper Nile State.

Upper Nile State continued to experience the highest number of reported incidents (15), which constituted nearly half of all reported incidents in October.

Central Equatoria recorded the second highest number of access incidents.

Violence and threats against humanitarian personnel and assets remained the most frequently reported incidents for the fourth consecutive month.

Seven incidents were carried out by community members and involved physical assaults.

In Maban County, Upper Nile State, interference with human resources and staffing continued to impact humanitarian partners leading to the suspension of staff recruitment.

ACCESS OVERVIEW

In October 2023, there were 32 reported incidents related to humanitarian access constraints throughout the country, a slight decrease compared to September 2023, when 34 incidents were reported. The most prevalent type of incident was violence against humanitarian personnel and assets, with 17 cases, followed by bureaucratic access impediments with six incidents. Violent incidents resulted in the death of one off-duty humanitarian worker and the kidnapping of another in Upper Nile State.

The highest number of reported incidents (15) were again reported from within Upper Nile, constituting almost half of all reported incidents in October. Of the 15 incidents in Upper Nile, six were acts of violence or threats against humanitarian personnel and assets, three were bureaucratic access impediments, two involved operational interference, two involved restrictions on movement, and two resulted from inter-communal fighting, leading to disruptions in humanitarian activities. Eight of the 15 incidents occurred in Maban County alone.

Central Equatoria recorded the second highest number of access incidents, primarily involving threats, harassment, intimidation, and restrictions on movement. Four access incidents were reported in Eastern Equatoria, each of which involved violence against humanitarian personnel, including physical assault, robbery, and looting.

Violence and threats against humanitarian personnel and assets remained the most frequently reported incidents for the fourth consecutive month, with a total of 17 recorded incidents. These included physical assault (5), threats, intimidation, harassment (3), robbery/theft/ambush (3), looting/theft of response supplies (2), burglary of humanitarian compounds (1), damage/destruction of humanitarian equipment (1), interference in human resources and staffing (1), and physical restrictions on movement (1).

Seven incidents were allegedly to have been carried out by community members and involved physical assaults, looting/theft of humanitarian supplies, threats/intimidation, inter-communal violence, and operational interference in humanitarian activities, a possible sign of their dissatisfaction with the decline in humanitarian services despite the country's growing humanitarian needs. Additionally, perpetrators of seven violence/threat incidents, particularly looting/theft of response items, were reported as unknown. Youth were involved in six of the reported access incidents.

In Maban County, Upper Nile State, interference with human resources and staffing continued to impact humanitarian partners leading to the suspension of staff recruitment. The youth demanded that humanitarian organizations comply with locally developed guidelines, undermining the national guidelines for NGO staff recruitment and the internal HR policies of NGOs. The situation has escalated further, with youth expressing their frustration over the non-compliance of humanitarian agencies with their regulations, leading to threats, demands for handover of humanitarian assets, and issuance of fines.