Save the Children Office and Health Care Center Destroyed and Looted as Violence Escalates in Jonglei State
Press Release,
Armed gangs have looted and burnt down a Save the Children office and destroyed a health care center in Walgak in South Sudan’s eastern Jonglei state where escalating violence in the past four weeks has displaced over 235,000 people, Save the Children said.
Save the Children said it has suspended all operations in Walgak in Akobo County and was pulling its 30 staff out of the area after its field office was burnt to the ground and its Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) destroyed, cutting off essential services for hundreds of children and families.
These attacks followed the seizure of four Save the Children vehicles last week.
Save the Children confirmed that no staff had been injured in the attacks and no casualties reported so far among staff or members of the surrounding community although the numbers fleeing the violence were rising daily.
Conflict has escalated significantly across South Sudan following renewed fighting since late December, particularly in Jonglei, the largest state in the country which is also one of the most food insecure parts of the country.
Thousands of people have fled the areas and are arriving in surrounding areas with minimal water, sanitation and health services and in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. Save the Children has supplies ready to deliver when the impacted areas can be safely accessed.
The United Nations has warned that the violence will significantly worsen food insecurity, particularly in northern Jonglei and Upper Nile states, and is exacerbating a cholera outbreak with treatment centers overwhelmed.
Chris Nyamandi, Save the Children’s South Sudan Country Director, said the security situation was continuing to deteriorate despite sustained engagement with relevant authorities and community stakeholders.
“We have had no choice but to indefinitely suspend our operations in Walgak following repeated attacks despite the impact this will have on so many families and children who rely on us for essential services. When aid facilities are attacked, it is civilians, especially children, who suffer the consequences. These actions are unacceptable and must stop.
“Humanitarian assets must be protected. Attacks against aid organizations only deepen the suffering of already vulnerable communities.”
Save the Children is calling on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease attacks on humanitarian infrastructure, respect international humanitarian law, and uphold their obligations to protect civilians and humanitarian actors. Safe, sustained, and unhindered humanitarian access must be guaranteed without delay.
Save the Children has worked in South Sudan since 1991, currently with a workforce of about 350 staff providing children with access to education, healthcare and nutrition, and supporting families with food security and livelihoods assistance.
