Brussels, 10/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 9 February, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides expressed his alarm at the ever worsening humanitarian situation in South Sudan, and called for unhindered humanitarian access to be guaranteed.
“I strongly urge all parties and authorities to allow free and unhindered humanitarian access”, Stylianides blogged, saying that he shared “the concerns of the humanitarian community and aid stakeholders in South Sudan”. At the same time, the UN agencies (FAO, UNICEF and WFP) warned about a worsening of the famine.
The legislation on NGOs, adopted by the national assembly on 3 February, to limit the number of humanitarian foreigners authorised to take action in the country to 20% of the staff from the humanitarian organisations on the ground, adds further to the crisis. There are currently some 3.9 million people who are victims of the civil war and are in a situation of serious food insecurity, requiring emergency food aid.
Underling the “immediate and grave consequences (of this legislation) on the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance” to the most vulnerable, Stylianides “urges that President Kiir will use his final say on this Bill to act for the benefit of his citizens”. Stylianides bases his hope on the fact that this legislation should be reviewed by the provisional government of national unity, and put to a process of public consultation in order to guarantee that it is in line with the best international practices. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)