Displacement after attacks in southern Sudan
JANUARY 23, 2009
ALERT: 05/2009 - January 23, 2009
The Lords Resistance Army (LRA) has attacked a series of villages in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mundri and Yambio counties in south Sudan since 25 December 2008. Information has been slow to emerge from this remote part of the country but church and other civil society organisation leaders have reported vicious attacks on women, men and children as well as burning and looting of fields and houses. The governor of Western Equatoria state issued an emergency appeal for assistance on 20 January 2009 citing 120 deaths, 6,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in addition to 10,000 refugees from Congo all in need of assistance where they are streaming into larger towns such as Mundri. Other reports put the number of IDPs at 7,000.
Based on reports to date by ACT members, the attacks have been focused in Mundri and Yambio counties which border the DRC. Reports received state that houses have been burned and looted, fields have been burned and more than 120 people killed. One report states that at least 10 people were abducted. Approximately 8,000 refugees from the DRC and 6,000 IDPs are in need of assistance. The exact extent of the damage is yet to be verified, but results from an interagency UN assessment mission are expected in the next few days. Partners of ACT members in Sudan and the Sudan Development and Relief Agency (SUDRA) of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) has sent an assessment team, which is expected to report back early next week.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has sent an assessment team to the area and the results of that are expected imminently. The governor of Western Equatoria has issued an emergency appeal stating that the state authorities do not have capacity to meet the needs generated by this situation.
The churches in the area have been responding by hosting and assisting with basic food and shelter as much as they can. Approximately US $2,000 has been raised by the ECS Diocese of Mundri for this situation, but they say it falls well short of the level of need. SUDRA has sent a team which will report next week. The Mundri Relief and Development Agency is present in Mundri and have good capacity, but their involvement in the response is yet to be determined. An ACT Juba Forum meeting is scheduled for 28 January at which the latest situation and response plans will be discussed.
It is not yet known what level of request will be made to the ACT International alliance or what it will include. However, it seems from the reports received to date that shelter, cooking utensils, water containers, clothes, blankets, mosquito nets and medicines are amongst the items most needed. More information will be available over the coming days and once the ACT members have met.
