Today's top news: South Sudan, Burundi

South Sudan

We very concerned about the recent escalation in the conflict in Jonglei and Pibor areas. Thousands of people have been displaced by the violence, which also includes cattle raiding and the destruction of homes.

Our humanitarian partners are helping 17,000 newly displaced people in Pibor town by providing supplies such as food, blankets, utensils and soap.

The Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim, Peter van der Auweraert, and the Government’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission led a mission to Pibor town earlier this week to gain clarity on the situation and support the response efforts.

The humanitarian community stresses the importance of protecting civilians and civilian assets and of having safe and unhindered access to people in need.

Burundi

From Burundi, our humanitarian colleagues say that the current outbreak of cholera there is the most concerning one the country has faced in several years.

In the past 10 days, there have been 73 cases and one death reported in the provinces of Bujumbura and Cibitoke.

Burundi’s Ministry of Health declared a cholera epidemic on January 1st of this year.

The Ministry is managing the response, supported by the World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, as well as non-governmental organizations and the Burundi Red Cross.

The response includes providing medical treatment and helping to increase access to clean water and hygiene and sanitation facilities to prevent the spread of the outbreak among communities at high risk.

To contain the epidemic, the Government has launched a cholera response plan requiring $4.3 million for three months.

The current main challenges are the limited availability of rapid screening tests, insufficient beds in cholera treatment centres, and water, sanitation and hygiene issues.