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Alert

South Sudan

Support to survivors of Conflict in Jonglei state

Geneva, 05 January 2012

1.       Brief description of the emergency  

For the last 2 weeks, there has been fierce fighting in the state of Jonglei in Southern Sudan.   6,000 armed men from the Lou-Nuer ethnic group attacked Pibor county, the home of the Murle community, in the latest of a series of raids between the two groups.

2.       Impact

It is estimated that more than 30,000 members of the Murle community have been displaced and hundreds of people killed in this new wave of violence. It is also estimated that more than 1,000 people have died in cattle raids, abductions and counter attacks in the last seven months.

Authorities say that the number of the dead in the latest attack may never be known because the casualties from the first heavy fighting, at the border areas between the two communities, were not assessed.  The border areas include Nam and Biemni

3.       National and international response

South Sudan Government (GoSS) has declared the state of Jonglei (LWF`s main program area) a disaster zone. The region has suffered increased inter-tribal fighting in recent days, and the GoSS is appealing to the international relief agencies to help in providing relief assistance to the affected populations.

4.       ACT Alliance response

• LWF is in contact with UN teams in Bor as well as other ACT members in the area; NCA and SCC, for a coordinated ACT response to this crisis.
• LWF is carrying out preliminary assessments and is representing ACT in the interagency coordination meetings on behalf of LWF and the ACT South Sudan forum.
• LWF held a series of meetings in Bor with the UN (OCHA), Save the Children and UNMISS.
• LWF will be part of the joint UN assessment mission planned for tomorrow facilitated by UNMISS in Pibor town.
• The Governor of Jonglei state has issued a plot of land to LWF to set an emergency base for this response. Two rubb hall stores will be erected next week as storage for relief supplies.
• LWF is prepared to respond with 200 NFI kits already in Bor and more in Panyagor (LWF base), as part of the stocks purchased under ACT Appeal SDN 112-preparedness component.
• LWF has also dispatched trucks from Ikotos (LWF second base) to Bor to provide the transport capacity for this response.

 5.       Planned activities

• Provide relief supplies to the displaced population (fleeing the conflict) and affected households.  Supplies will include: NFI distribution (including supplies received from UN agencies), school materials for displaced children, supply of mosquito nets.
• Food Security and peace building activities within the regular LWF program in the area.

 

Additional support required includes a communications officer (writing and photography), security advisor and psychosocial expertise (programming).

Lutheran World Federation will lead in this response, on behalf of the ACT Sudan Forum.  A preliminary appeal is under preparation and will be issued as soon as possible.

 

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jean-Daniel Birmele, ACT Chief Finance Officer (jbi@actalliance.org)