Action Against Hunger prepares for worsening crisis as rising tensions displace tens of thousands in Southern Sudan

2nd June 2011

As the date for southern independence draws near, tensions in Sudan are rising steadily and tens of thousands of people have fled their homes. Humanitarian organisation Action Against Hunger has launched an emergency response to provide families with nutritional assistance and immediate access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

Recent developments indicate growing insecurity along disputed sections of the border, displacing tens of thousands of people in the region and threatening to trigger a wider humanitarian crisis. An estimated 110,000 people have already fled their homes in and around Abyei, relocating in neighboring Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Unity and Warrap State.

Action Against Hunger, in coordination with other UN agencies, has carried out initial assessments in areas that have absorbed significant numbers of displaced families, including Mayen Abun, Turalei, Majak Aher, and Wunrok, and across Twic County. The organisation has also carried out additional assessments in former displacement camps that are now being reopened to assist the newly displaced.

Nutritional screening programmes are in place to detect rates of severe acute malnutrition among the displaced, and malnourished children are being referred for treatment to therapeutic centres. Water and sanitation infrastructure in each region is being assessed, in anticipation of further influxes of displaced families.

Action Against Hunger is also repairing and rehabilitating a range of existing boreholes to ensure access to clean water and constructing and repairing latrines to provide basic sanitation. Materials are being distributed to help families collect and store clean water and emergency health and hygiene promotion programmes have been launched. The organisation continues to identify additional sites where displaced families are beginning to congregate.

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