UN peacekeepers escort relief convoy to Lasu after inaugurating base in Yei
Humanitarian organizations have been able to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to the people of Otogo County in the Yei River area in Central Equatoria. The relief convoy could reach those in need thanks to the escort provided by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, which recently opened a field support office in nearby Yei.
The humanitarian actors included the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Action Africa Help and Plan International, among others. The relief team delivered several life-saving kits in the Lasu district, including cooking utensils, blankets, mosquito nets, tablets of soap and carpets. They also provided vaccination for pregnant mothers and children below the age of five, as well as treatment for the sick.
While there are admittedly a few thousand households in need of assistance in the area, a single relief convoy can only do so much. In this case, about 300 households received relief aid during the visit.
Escorting humanitarian convoys is an important part of the UN peacekeeping mission’s mandate, one of which pillars is to provide a conducive environment to ensure that humanitarian assistance can reach those in need.
Lilian Soba, a 28-year-old mother of two, was one of many grateful beneficiaries in Lasu. She believes that her community would not have survived another two or three months without external support.
“The insecurity has displaced us into places without market or healthcare, mainly along streams which are homes to mosquitoes. We have suffered a lot. We have lost our farmlands, so we have been surviving on wild fruits and roots; children withstand the worst of the conflict through malnutrition,” Ms. Soba explained, adding that non-food items received, like carpets and soaps, were also much-needed.
A 75-year-old elder who identified himself only as Eyobo says that he has also been severely affected by both fighting in the area and wildfires.
“I do not have a house. I have lost all my belongings during the fighting. Those I took to the bush to save them have been burnt by wildfires.”
Pastor Nicolas Towongo of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan works in the area and says it is time for forgiveness, tolerance and peace.
“We should put aside all the differences that tend to polarize us along tribal lines. We are after all a people of one nation,” Pastor Towonong emphasized.
Anthony Ade Wani, Commissioner of Otogo County, says he has been mobilizing civilians to return home to access services and humanitarian assistance to allow them to start a new life. For relief convoys to be able to arrive, he points out that two bridges in the area that have been destroyed need to be repaired.
Equally important, Mr. Wani believes, is that UN peacekeepers continue to patrol roads in the region to make people feel safe to return home.
“Patrols will act as deterrents to those who violate the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, because they will understand that their movements are being monitored and actions reported to the international community.”