WFP: Safety needed in South Sudan

(Vatican Radio) As the unrest in South Sudan continues, humanitarian aid organizations are struggling to serve those displaced by the violence. They say the biggest challenge to their efforts right now is the lack of safety.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners are distributing food to some 30,000 civilians in peacekeeping compounds in Juba and Bentiu. The WFP plans to assist more people displaced in other parts of the country in the coming days.

However, WFP spokesperson Peter Smeardon reports that the work on the ground has been difficult.

“The situation on the ground is extremely challenging for humanitarian operations. Large numbers of people are moving around. And there is a lot of violence, and that makes it very difficult to reach the people who are moving and then to provide assistance for them in a safe place,” said Smeardon.

“Because that’s what we need above all to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people who need it the most, is safety,” he emphasized. “They need to feel safe and gather in one spot and then we need for our staff to be safe to bring them food and other humanitarian assistance, and that’s the biggest need at the moment in South Sudan.”

On Monday, with violence on the upsurge, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced that the UN wants to double its peacekeeping efforts in the country.

Listen to the report by Andrew Summerson: