By Ginaba Lino
A Church led organization Caritas South Sudan has appealed to the head of Caritas Network, people of goodwill, and International Community to Intervene and mitigate the suffering of the people through provision of aid.
The office of the President of the Integral Human Development Commission, Bishop Edurado Hiiboro, highlighted South Sudan’s “political instability” has resulted in a high number of internally displaced persons who are living in deplorable conditions.
Bishop Hiiboro also says continues “insecurity and inter-communal conflicts” contributing to hunger and complex emergencies in many parts of the country.
“The insecurity across the country has caused starvation on the population of South Sudan, and most of them abandon their sources of livelihood in a bid to save their lives.
The security situation challenge affected women, children, the aged, and people living with “disabilities.”
The unstable situation has made school children to drop out of school because of the “insecurity and fear” of being forcefully “recruited to serve as solders” in the conflicts, “he said.”
Adding that this has caused the number of out-of-school children to increase with the majority of these out-of-schools quickly becoming street children.
The Catholic Church leader who is serving as the President of the Integral Human Development Commission for the Catholic bishops’ conference of Sudan and South Sudan said the situation will impact negatively on the country’s security if not addressed immediately.
He explained, “South Sudan is also still struggling to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw their already fragile economy come to a collapse.”
Bishop went ahead to explain how COVID-19 led to many people losing their jobs and livelihoods, causing those who were previously self-reliant to become dependent on well-wishers.
“I appeal and beseech you, Caritas network, people of goodwill, and International Community to not get tired of our knocking on your doors once again and again,” Bishop Edurado said in the letter on 8 March.
He went ahead and said, “This is because the Head of Caritas Network is their only hope and light at the end of the tunnel,” and added, “the people of South Sudan shall appreciate whatever support the Network, and people of goodwill accord them in whatever manner that they deem fit.