Escalating inter-communal clashes in Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Warrap and other parts of South Sudan are causing immense harm to civilians and risk hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid – all the more crucial given the current COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
Although the fighting between the signatories of the peace agreement has significantly reduced as factions broadly respect the ceasefire, the scope and intensity of inter-communal violence has increased.
Between January and May 2020, the UN Mission in South Sudan recorded 415 violent incidents between communities, up from 129 in 2018. At least 4 aid workers have lost their lives in the recent clashes.
On 11 June, the High Representative released a statement on behalf of the European Union, expressing concern at the delays in the implementation of the peace agreement and the widespread violence in the country, which is also hindering COVID-19 response efforts and the delivery of humanitarian aid. The Troika (US, UK and Norway) issued a similar statement on 9 June.
Source: ECHO