Alert

17/2008 - Juba County, South Sudan

Displacement due to conflict

Geneva, February 22, 2008

Communities in Juba County in southern Sudan have abandoned their homes and converged on the villages of Wonduruba and Katigiri following looting by armed groups in early February 2008. The ACT Juba Forum reports that an estimated 7,500 people (1,300 households) are now displaced to Wonduruba and a similar number of people are estimated to be in Katigiri. Some 450 people from Katigiri are now displaced in the town of Juba.

Armed groups are reported to have looted food, seed, clothing and other household goods. In addition, at least five health clinics were looted and damaged. Reports have been received from the County Health Officer that people in Katigiri are without spare clothing or blankets for the temperature drops at night, and that food supplies are anticipated to run out in the next two days.

UN agencies are launching a rapid assessment as soon as security clearance is given, which will be joined by members of the Juba ACT Forum. The County Commissioner has mobilized security forces to the area, but their presence on the ground has yet to be confirmed. Local armed militias are also forming to provide their families protection.

Security will be afforded to the assessment team through the UN arranged escort and the team is expected to depart in the next 3-4 days. Improvement in the security conditions will also determine when a relief response could be implemented as ACT members would not want to endanger people during or after distribution.

As the Juba ACT Forum prepares a possible response to the emergency, ACT members will remain in contact with the ACT Coordinating Office (CO).

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jessie Kgoroeadira, ACT Finance Officer (jkg@act-intl.org).

(ends)

ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.