South Sudan: 50.000 people fleeing deadly conflict in Upper Nile
The conflict that started in Nasir early March between the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army escalated further and resulted in the killing of a UN staff and a general during the evacuation on March 7th.
Nasir was bombed from the air during the night of March 17th. The UN reports that some 50.000 people have fled due to this conflict, life saving response has had to be put on hold, and there are also credible reports of civilian casualties.
Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) Director for Development and Humanitarian Cooperation, Gry Ballestad, states: “For almost 40 years, we have worked in solidarity with the South Sudanese people through war, peace and the country’s independence in 2011. We are concerned of the fate of the peace agreement R-ARCISS, but the main reason we now react is because we again see how the civilian people are losing loved ones and have to flee their homes.”
NPA implores the parties to the conflict to respect and protect civilian lives, particularly those of children!
