Samaritan’s Purse Press Release On March 10, 2014
The widespread violence in South Sudan between the government and opposition forces that escalated to dangerously bloody levels on December 15 has subsided for now.
The fragile country that teetered on the brink of civil war has settled into a tenuous ceasefire. Peace talks that had been ongoing since mid-February between the factions are scheduled to resume on March 20.
Samaritan’s Purse has been able to expand our programs, as we get closer to the level of staffing in place before the conflict started.
Recently, we sent international staff back to our outposts in Juba, Yida, and Maban, where we are caring for refugees who have fled fighting across the border in Sudan.
Small teams have also been positioned around Nimule, Minkamon, and Warrap to help meet critical needs and implement life-saving programming for tens of thousands of internally displaced people living in camps around those areas.
“Fighting could break out in various places throughout the country, but we are committed to the safety of our staff,” Samaritan’s Purse regional director Tim Windmeyer said. “We will be diligent in monitoring the security situation at all times, while giving communities the emergency aid they desperately need.”
These men and women have rejoined nearly 600 national staff members who have been maintaining services to more than 200,000 refugees who have come to rely on our food, water, medical care, and nutritional programs for survival.
With the ever-present threat of renewed violence in South Sudan, we are shifting our long-term strategy moving forward.
Samaritan’s Purse is working with South Sudanese people living in camps after fleeing the violence.
“South Sudan is a different country now than it was just four months ago,” Windmeyer said. “We are moving our focus from improvement programming back to disaster response.”
Many of our national staff members, those who are citizens of South Sudan, are moving into leadership roles. They will be trained on how to help victims of disasters, such as war, in their own country.
Unfortunately, there is no shortage of people who need our help. As a result of the conflict that began in December, more than 908,000 people have been displaced by violence, including 705,800 people within South Sudan and 202,500 into neighboring countries according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Emergency Response
Samaritan’s Purse is treating the situation as we would any other disaster. We are assessing the needs of the suffering and determining how we can help in Jesus’ Name.
One place of greatest need is Nimule, a village located south of Juba near the border with Uganda.
Families who fled the bloodshed in the village of Bor are now living in the most desperate of situations among Nimule’s host community. Finding just enough water to drink is difficult.
We have a team in the area providing clean water, latrines, and other sanitation and hygiene capabilities for more than 20,000 people.
So far, 150 latrines have been completed and are ready for use. Two water systems were installed along the Anyama River and water operators were trained. The two systems pump a combined total of about 30,000 liters per day of drinking water. Two additional systems are being procured and will be installed in two other sites along the river.
In Minkamon we are providing ongoing borehole assessment and repair. We have installed a water system that produces 30,000 liters of drinking water per day. And we are assessing the needs of IDPs who have settled on islands along the Nile River.
Samaritan’s Purse is working in four separate IDP camps near Warrap, each housing around 20,000 people. Our teams have drilled four boreholes, trained two water committees, and constructed 45 latrines.
We are also working in Uganda, providing relief for thousands of South Sudan refugees who have settled there.
Ongoing Refugee Response
Our teams in Yida and Maban will continue to provide food, nutrition, health, and medical services to the hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled the genocide they were facing in Sudan-people who are living once again in a war-torn land.
Samaritan’s Purse programming includes:
“Now it’s a crisis on top of a crisis,” Windmeyer said. “We were already responding, and we will remain dedicated to those we are already helping. And as always, we need prayer in this difficult time.”
Samaritan’s Purse began working in Sudan in 1993, and we have had a country office in South Sudan since it declared independence just three years ago. We remain committed to maintaining our presence in this violence-plagued nation.
For more information and to make a donation, visit the Samaritan’s Purse website.
Samaritan's Purse has been helping the war-ravaged Sudanese and South Sudanese people since 1997, providing food, shelter, clean water, medical care, and other aid in crisis situations. Your gift will help provide desperately-needed relief to those affected by violence and poverty in South Sudan.