Sudan: UN begins medical assistance to the victims of the Malakal fighting

(Juba, [South Sudan] 30 November 2006):

• The United Nations has begun delivering medical assistance to more than 300 civilians who were wounded by heavy fighting in Malakal, Upper Nile State, following the cessation of violence there this morning.

The United Nations, together with its partners, is medically treating an estimated 300 to 400 civilians who were badly injured during two days of attacks between armed groups in the city, and is ready to provide food, water and shelter materials to those who fled to escape the fighting. UN and partner humanitarian teams in Malakal are also starting to assess civilian casualties, infrastructure damage, including hospitals, and the availability of food, clean water and medical supplies for ongoing assistance.

"Now that the fighting has subsided, we have begun to provide immediate life-saving medical support to the civilian victims of the violence and also assess what else needs to be done." said David Gressly, UN Deputy Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan.

Mr. Gressly will travel to Malakal tomorrow to support UN teams already on the ground. He will be accompanied by the head of the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs and a small team of technical experts. The team will also transport medical and water supplies.

Heavy fighting broke out in the State capitol between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army on 28 November and continued into the following day. Fighting subsided this morning, yet tensions among armed groups operating in the city remain high. Today, the UN has reported sporadic gunfire, the looting of shops and homes and violence against civilians in the city.

In a statement issued on 29 November, the Secretary-General of the United Nations expressed his deep concern about fighting, indicating that the hostilities constitute a serious violation of the security arrangements of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. He appealed to the Government of National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan to make all possible efforts to contain the situation.

The United Nations will continue to assist the civilian population and monitor the situation in Malakal. Some civilian United Nations staff have been temporarily relocated to other locations in Southern Sudan.