More than 680,000 people have fled the war in Sudan to South Sudan over the past year, with limited food, water, shelter, sanitation facilities, and medical care.
The ongoing war in Sudan is drastically increasing people’s needs across the border in South Sudan. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls for an immediate scale-up of lifesaving aid for refugees and returnees fleeing the war and for the communities hosting them.
The war in Sudan began in April 2023 and has since created the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 10 million people forced to flee their homes. More than 680,000 people have arrived in South Sudan since last April, at a time when the country’s health system and existing humanitarian assistance can barely meet local needs. In the coming months, the pressure on health services and aid organizations is likely to increase, with an estimated 7 million people predicted to be without access to sufficient food by July.
Renk in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state is located about 37 miles from Joda, the official entry point for people fleeing the war in Sudan. Some 13,000 refugees and returnees are currently stranded in and around the town’s transit center. The number fluctuates depending on whether they wait to be able to continue their journeys across South Sudan, or return home to Sudan. Living conditions are dire, with limited food, water, shelter, sanitation facilities, and medical care.
Malnutrition admissions have doubled
Many of those who arrive at the border are injured and acutely malnourished, having walked for weeks to reach safety. Currently, aid agencies provide them with money to buy food for seven days, but many people find themselves stuck at Renk transit center for weeks or even months while they wait for transport to continue their journeys.
“Sometimes we manage to eat twice a day, but usually we only eat breakfast and we go to bed at night with empty stomachs, even the youngest ones,” said Dak Denj, a 70-year-old cattle herder who has been staying at Renk transit center since December 2023.
About 186 miles from Renk, thousands of refugees and returnees are living in Bulukat transit center, near Malakal town. Shortages of food, water, shelter, and proper sanitation have led to increases in illnesses such as diarrhea and respiratory infections, according to MSF medical teams.
The continuing influx of refugees and returnees to South Sudan is likely to worsen already acute shortages of food and water among both new arrivals and host communities and make it even harder for people to access medical care.
Before April 2023, 30 to 50 severely malnourished children were admitted each month to the inpatient malnutrition treatment center at MSF’s hospital in Malakal town. Since the outbreak of war in Sudan, the number of severely malnourished children admitted to the facility has doubled.
Children who are malnourished are more vulnerable to other life-threatening diseases. “Malnutrition increases the risk of infection, particularly among children under five, who are more likely to die from diseases such as meningitis, measles, yellow fever, cholera, and malaria,” said MSF medical coordinator Dr. Eltigani Osman.
Water shortages compound risks
Water shortages across the region are forcing people to collect water from rivers. Drinking untreated water, which may be contaminated, poses additional health risks, particularly in a region prone to cholera outbreaks. These risks are likely to increase with the approaching rainy season, which is expected to cause serious flooding across the region, contaminating wells and boreholes and hindering the humanitarian response. Flooding on the Sudanese side of the border could push even more people to flee to South Sudan.
We urgently call on international donors to allocate funding to address the needs of the returnees, refugees, and host populations in South Sudan. This must include the provision of food, water, shelter, sanitation, and medical care, as well as the means for people to continue their journeys.
IQBAL HUDA, MSF HEAD OF MISSION
Aid organizations are currently struggling to respond to the crisis and assist everyone in need. Since April 2023, MSF has been running a clinic at the main border crossing and two mobile clinics around Renk and Bulukat, which treat around 190 patients each day, as well as supporting Renk Hospital. However, this is not enough, and the scale of the crisis demands a much larger international response.
“The humanitarian response remains inadequate to the reality of the needs, in a context where there is already considerable strain on the health system,” said MSF head of mission Iqbal Huda.
“We urgently call on international donors to allocate funding to address the needs of the returnees, refugees, and host populations in South Sudan. This must include the provision of food, water, shelter, sanitation, and medical care, as well as the means for people to continue their journeys.” MSF
For many years politicians have taken advantage of the political ignorance of the masses in Kenya. They have assumed the youths are too busy on other things and aren't focused or informed on matters politics. They don't care or know what politics means and how it affects their own lives.
However, the protests by Gen Z current techno-savvy and knowledgeable youths proves one thing, all Kenyans fully understand matters politics, they pay attention and they also know when they vote , they give jobs to politicians and those politicians should serve the interests of the ones they lead.
Consider the controversial Finance Bill 2024, the controversial taxes proposed were discussed on social media. A campaign against the Bill kicked off on social media, Mps telephone numbers were leaked and campaign to call the MPs and instruct them not to vote for the bill started. MPs phone numbers were flooded by texts and warnings from Kenyans across the country warning MPs not to vote for the bill.
Operation occupy Parliament was planned again and this united the youthful Kenyans and brought operations at CBD in Nairobi Kenya to a standstill. They came, were fearless marched peacefully until they were teargassed. The unique demonstrations brought Kenyans together. They were not allied to any political party, they were not allied to any politicians, they even told the leader of the opposition Raila Odinga to stay at home. They were Kenyans, Kenyans united.
They were clear on what they were opposed to and their campaign paid dividends as some of controversial proposals were immediately dropped for the bill. Is that good enough? Not really, they want the entire bill dropped.
it was so difficult this time for Kenya Kwanza to blame protests on Azimio leadership as they have always done. Gen Z presents a new dawn in Kenyan politics. The youths are tired of the boring status -quo which has seen all protests ended and nothing to show for it yet their suffering endures. The Kenyan youthful proves if tribalism was the way to define our politics, then we all come from one tribe-the Kenyan Tribe which is the largest. In this way of looking at it, if you hurt one Kenyan, you hurt all Kenyans. Gen Z will unite and say a vehement NO!
Gen Z proved that all Kenyans understand what's going on and Kenyans will no longer accept to be lied to. They will not accept to be divided on tribal and political lines by selfish leaders who are in it for themselves only.
Molo MP Kuria Kimani at a committee hearing on the Finance Bill 2024 on June 4, 2024.
National Assembly Finance Committee Chair Kuria Kimani on Wednesday, sought guidance on what to do with Ksh168,000 he received from Kenyans while drafting the Finance Bill 2024.
The Molo MP sought guidance from NA Speaker Moses Wetangula noting that it was against the law to receive public funds.
“In a very special way, although these people bridged the Data Protection Act by sharing our numbers with Kenyans, but I also thank the Kenyans who wrote to us through SMS that called us and some of them were generous enough to send us Ksh1 and more to confirm if our numbers were authentic,” he stated.
PARLIAMENT OF KENYA
Activists had made the numbers of legislators public so as to pressure them to remove punitive taxes in the Bill.
“I have written to the clerk wondering what to do with the Ksh168,000 that was sent to e because receiving these gifts from members of the public is against the laws of this Republic,” he explained his distress.
He added that he would seek guidance from Speaker Wetangula on what to do with the cash after the morning sitting.
Kuria remarked that he had tried engaging a telecommunications company in reversing the cash.
“I tried reversing it was impossible because it came in hundreds of thousands,” he explained why he still had the cash.
Unlike Kuria, the first term MP decided to use the money during a church fundraising in Kakamega County on Sunday, June 16. By Kioko Nyamasyo, Kenyans.co.ke
The Haiti delegation which was led by Joachim Prohete during the meeting that urged IG Koome to stand with the gang-hit country as they embark on a mission to restore order.
Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome on Tuesday met with a delegation from Haiti police in Nairobi ahead of the planned deployment of Kenya’s police units to lead a Multinational Security Support(MSS) mission in the Caribbean nation.
The NPS said the discussions which was held at the National Police Service(NPS) headquarters, in Nairobi centered on the upcoming deployment.
The Haiti delegation which was led by Joachim Prohete during the meeting that urged IG Koome to stand with the gang-hit country as they embark on a mission to restore order.
“We are counting on your support” the Haitian Police official Joachim Prohete, told IG Koome.
Kenya has offered to lead the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) mandated mission to support the understaffed and under-resourced security agencies in the Caribbean nation, which have been battling gangs that have seized control of much of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
Kenyan police units are expected to have the boots on the ground by the end of this month.
On his part, IG Koome assured the Haitian Police of NPS,s support in ongoing peace efforts.
“The NPS remains committed to collaboration in the mission, for the good of the people of Haiti especially women and children,” said Koome.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Inspector General(DIG)Kenya Police Service, Douglas Kanja, and DIG Administration Police Service, Noor Gabow, who is the lead NPS Officer on the Haiti Mission.
The Haitian Police team also met with other NPS Commanders during the meeting.
On May 31, President William Ruto expressed confidence that Kenya’s police units participating in the peace Mission in Haiti will fulfill their mandate.
Ruto made the announcement after receiving a briefing from the team that conducted an assessment mission to evaluate the state of preparedness for the deployment of Kenyan police units.
“I am confident of the fulfilment of the mandate of UNSC Resolution 2699 (2023),” he said.
The 1,000-strong police units will be drawn from the paramilitary General Service Unit Recce Squad and the Administration Police Rapid Deployment Force and Special Operations Group. By Bruhan Makong, Capital News
(left to right )High court principal judge Eric Ogola, environment and lands court justice Oscar Angote and employment and labour relations court justice Byram Ongaya at Milimani Law Courts on June18, 2024./DOUGLAS OKIDDY
Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka is among the senior opposition leaders who were present.
In Summary
Kivuti was shot on Thursday afternoon at the Makadara Law Courts after she made a ruling in a case involving a policeman's wife.
She on Friday succumbed to the injuries sustained from the shooting incident.
Chief Justice Martha Koome on Tuesday led Judicial officers in a memorial service in honour of the late Makadara Magistrate Monica Kivuti.
Kivuti was shot on Thursday afternoon at the Makadara Law Courts after she made a ruling in a case involving a policeman's wife.
She on Friday succumbed to the injuries sustained from the shooting incident. Lawyers, judges and other stakeholders gathered at various courts to mourn Magistrate Kivuti.
Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka is among the senior opposition leaders who were attended one such function at Milimani Law Courts. by IVY KARIUKI, The Star
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