15 December marks the one-year anniversary of the civil war in South Sudan.
One year after the violence escalated and threw the newborn nation into chaos and turmoil, half of the country's 12 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. “
The aid effort and financial support in 2014 was substantial, but more work needs to be done in 2015. South Sudan needs the ongoing support of the international Community” says Jan Egeland.
South Sudan is now entering the dry season, which offers opportunities for accessing part of the country that have been unreachable due to heavy rainfall and poor infrastructure.
“The dry season, lasting until May, lets people move, grow food and receive humanitarian aid. We need to use this opportunity to move supplies around parts of the country that we did not have access to for the past half year.”
Without peace, the situation in South Sudan will continue to worsen, Egeland says.
“Throughout 2014 we have seen shocking devastation of people's lives, but we have also seen how resilient the people of South Sudan are.”
Nearly two million people have been forced to flee their homes since December 2013, including 750,000 internally displaced children and more than 320,000 children are living as refugees in other countries.
“Some 400,000 of South Sudan's children have been out of school for a year. These children deserve an education and the chance of a future with peace”, says Jan Egeland.