Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. in South Sudan condemns attack on a humanitarian convoy in Yei County, Central Equatoria

(Juba, 22 September 2021) The Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in South Sudan, Matthew Hollingworth, strongly condemns the latest attack on a humanitarian convoy in Yei County, Central Equatoria and calls for authorities and communities to ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel as they deliver assistance to the most vulnerable people in South Sudan.

“I am appalled by the horrific news of yet another act of violence against humanitarians and people serving the community in South Sudan. I want to express our condolences to the family and colleagues of the driver who was killed in Yei County on Friday,” said Mr. Hollingworth.

On 17 September, the convoy of a WFP cooperating partner, consisting of seven people in three trucks, was attacked in Mugwo Payam, Yei County. The convey was travelling from Yei to Morobo and carrying 121 metric tons of food supplies destined for livelihoods programming in support of host communities in Morobo County. The driver of one of the trucks, a South Sudanese citizen, was killed when the unknown gunmen opened fire on the convoy. One person was injured, two were found unharmed and three others are currently missing.

“Humanitarian personnel work tirelessly to deliver assistance to the most vulnerable people in South Sudan, including women, children and the elderly. Attacking them as they carry out their work is unacceptable and has to stop. I call on all parties to respect, protect and enable those organizations and personnel working to provide humanitarian assistance to the citizens of South Sudan,” continued Mr. Hollingworth.

Humanitarian access remains challenging across South Sudan with a spike of violence against humanitarian personnel and assets reported this year. Since March, aid workers, people serving the community, and assets have been ambushed or attacked in at least eight of the ten states in the country. The attacks led to the suspension of humanitarian activities and the relocation of workers.

“These attacks constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law. The trend of increased violence against humanitarians cannot continue. Our thoughts are now with the three people still missing. We hope that they will soon be safely back with their families.” Mr. Hollingworth concluded.

Please find enclosed link to the press release.

Note to editors

To learn more about humanitarian access in South Sudan, see the second quarterly access snapshot of 2021 here: https://bit.ly/3hBasNB, see the first quarterly access snapshot here: https://bit.ly/3dZQtGw

For further information, please contact:

Anthony Burke, Public Information Officer, +211 92 240 6014 and burkea@un.org

Annette Hearns, Deputy Head of Office, hearns@un.org

OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org/south-sudan or www.reliefweb.int*