Ten leading humanitarian agencies, headed by UK’s Oxfam, published yesterday a joint briefing paper titled “Rescuing the Peace in southern Sudan”.
The document says that the development indicators in southern Sudan are at the bottom of the scale with the highest rate of women dying from pregnancy-related complications.
It also says that around 90 per cent of southern Sudanese women cannot read or write, half the population does not have access to safe drinking water and Southern Sudan suffers from hyper-endemic diseases like malaria, meningitis, cholera, and haemorrhagic fever.
The paper indicates that in many rural locations, children lack schools, people are chronically malnourished, and it takes days to walk to the nearest health centre.
The document concludes that deteriorating humanitarian situation demands an immediate emergency response from the international community.
It adds that emergency interventions should contribute to local development, by using food produced locally to promote the growth of markets and self-sufficiency.