Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Save the Children has suspended operations and relocated its staff from Agok town of Abyei Administrative Area owing to increased insecurity in the area.
The move followed last week’s attacks when gunmen stormed the town and torched homes, and shops, forcing the vast population of the area to flee to other parts of Abye.
The life of a local staff working for Medicines Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) as a nurse was lost during Thursday’s inter-communal attack that also claimed civilians’ lives and injured a dozen others.
In a statement distributed by the Africa Press Organization, the management of Save the Children said the untenable situation has made operation difficult.
“We cannot perform our essential, life-saving work in Agok if our staff and their families fear for their lives,” Mohammed Dahir, Save the Children’s Interim County Director in South Sudan said in the statement. “One day of program suspension can be the difference between life and death for a child.”
The programs the organization suspended included supporting children battling with malnutrition, vaccination, and healthcare provision to babies and mothers as well as security and protection to South Sudan’s most vulnerable children.
In a statement yesterday, the head of the organization said both parties to the conflict should provide unimpeded humanitarian access and assurances of safety to the humanitarian staff operating in the area to resume operations to prevent further suffering of vulnerable groups.
“We strongly urged the local authority to protect civilians, and ensure that humanitarian agencies like Save the Children can continue to deliver services to children and families,” Mr Dahir added.
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