MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2020) Recent armed violence combined with heavy flooding and the spreading COVID-19 infection in the eastern part of South Sudan have hampered aid deliveries to thousands of people in need in this area, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday.
"Recent armed violence in Jonglei State and Greater Pibor Administrative Area has forcibly uprooted thousands of people from their homes and left entire areas without access to medical care, while heavy flooding and the COVID-19 pandemic have made it more difficult for humanitarian organizations to deliver assistance ... ICRC fears that those living in remote areas are at grave risk of malnutrition and disease, as some areas are impossible to reach due to flooding," the ICRC said.
According to the ICRC, the flooding poses additional risks of waterborne diseases such as cholera as well as malaria.
The organization noted that from August 6 to 12, 840 families in nearby Bor received blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, buckets, kitchen sets, tarpaulins and soap as part of joint humanitarian efforts by the ICRC and the South Sudan Red Cross (SSRC).
Earlier in August, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir declared a state of emergency in Jonglei state and the Pibor Administrative Area as flooding had forced 150,000 to leave the area that has been ravaged by inter-communal conflicts for years.
In addition, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to rise in the African nation. South Sudan has so far confirmed nearly 2,500 cases of the infection and 47 fatalities. The ICRC says that forcible displacements complicate the fight against the virus since people are unable to follow basic measures to protect themselves from the infection, including handwashing and physical distancing.
