More support needed for Southern Sudan while world's eyes fixed on Darfur

(Juba and New York: 23 March 2007) United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes today travelled to Juba, Southern Sudan, on the second day of his two-week, three-country mission to Africa.

While in Juba, Mr. Holmes met with First Vice President of Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), Mr. Salva Kiir, and Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Dr. Riek Machar. The Emergency Relief Coordinator also met with members of the United Nations country team and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Southern Sudan.

Two years on from the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), Southern Sudan continues to confront considerable humanitarian and recovery challenges, such as the need to support hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons now returning to the south, as well as the communities to which they are returning. Humanitarian partners must remain prepared to respond rapidly to sudden onset emergencies, such as the ongoing meningitis epidemic that has spread across eight of the ten southern states.

While the largest humanitarian crisis in the world unfolds in the North, securing funding for Southern Sudan in the shadow of Darfur remains a significant challenge.

"I am very encouraged by what is happening here, but the needs are tremendous. We all - UN, donors and NGOs - need to do much more to support the Government and people in Southern Sudan. Recovery and development activities need to be accelerated, and the benefits of peace to become more apparent," said Mr. Holmes from Juba on Friday.

In his meetings with the President and Vice President, the discussions also touched on the Government of Southern Sudan's initiatives to facilitate negotiations between the Government of Uganda and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and the need to reach a political solution in Darfur.

"If there isn't a peaceful resolution in Darfur, it is much harder to maintain peace in the rest of Sudan, including in the South," said Mr. Holmes. "The President of the Government of Southern Sudan seems very willing to engage on this issue, and to bring his considerable experience to the table."

Mr. Holmes will next travel to Darfur and visit field locations on Saturday 24 March and Sunday 25 March 2007.

For further information, please call: Dawn Blalock, OCHA-Sudan, +249 187 089 453, +249 912 174 454 (mobile), +88 216 5119 1670 (Thuraya), Maurizio Giuliano, OCHA-Southern Sudan, +249 912 179 084 (mobile), +88 216 433 4197 (Thuraya), Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 9262; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.