WIREDGOV

Unicef and partners are providing urgent life-saving assistance to thousands of people displaced by last weekend’s heavy fighting in Juba.

Four trucks of supplies were dispatched from Unicef warehouses and taken to a UN displacement site in Juba as soon as movement became possible in the city earlier today. High-energy food bars were also distributed in two churches where families have gathered. 

“The people hit hardest by this fighting are struggling to cope in appalling conditions,” said Mahimbo Mdoe, Unicef’s Representative in South Sudan. “They are desperate for water, food and in need of medical assistance.”

The relief items dispatched today included supplies for the treatment of malnutrition as well as sanitation items such as water containers and soap. Primary health care kits as well as recreational items for children will be distributed tomorrow. 

Teams from Unicef and partners are also working to assess the extent of humanitarian needs and have begun family tracing for children who became separated from their parents as families fled the fighting. Plans are in place to assist up to 50,000 people affected by the conflict.

“We are responding and that response will continue to grow, but it is vital that we are able to reach everyone in need and for that we must have unrestricted humanitarian access,” said Mdoe. 

Notes for editors:

For further information, please contact:

Emily Poyser, Unicef UK Press Office +44 (0)207 375 6154 or EmilyP@Unicef.org.uk

Unicef UK Press Office on +44 (0)20 7375 6030 or media@unicef.org.uk

About Unicef
Unicef is the world’s leading organisation for children, promoting the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. Unicef UK raises funds to protect children in danger, transform their lives and build a safer world for tomorrow’s children.  As a registered charity we raise funds through donations from individuals, organisations and companies and we lobby and campaign to keep children safe. Unicef UK also runs programmes in schools, hospitals and with local authorities in the UK. For more information please visit unicef.org.uk