HIGHLIGHTS
• Tens of thousands have fled their homes following fresh fighting in Wau county.
• South Sudan facing worst food insecurity since December 2013.
• Thousands displaced by fighting in Raja county.
• Tension remains high in Kajo-Keji where thousands have been displaced.
• Sudanese refugees continue to flee into South Sudan.
Fighting in Wau displaces tens of thousands of people
Fresh fighting erupted in and around Wau town on 24 June, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes and communities, including around 12,000 who have sought shelter near the UNMISS base.
The number of casualties is unknown and displacement figures are still being verified.
However, partners’ preliminary estimates indicate that more than 27,000 people are displaced within Wau town, including at the Catholic Church, South Sudan Red Cross compound, St Joseph’s, Nazarieth, Lokoloko and UNMISS protected site. An additional 35,000 to 50,000 people are estimated to be displaced in the Greater Baggari Area, in-cluding in Bringi, Ngo Halima, Tadu, and Ngisa.
Humanitarian partners are ramping-up their response to the needs generated by the fighting, including sending in emergency staff and supplies to reinforce their teams on the ground.
At the UNMISS protected site, humanitarian partners have distributed High Energy Bis - cuits and water is being delivered via water tanker. General food distribution has com - menced, construction of latrines is underway and partners have provided emergency shelter. A clinic has been set-up and health consultations are ongoing, including for gun - shot wounds, chicken pox, malaria and respiratory infections. Many children were sepa - rated from their families during the fighting, and child protection partners have already registered about 170 unaccompanied (9), separated (120) and missing (40) children at the protection Help Desk that they rapidly established.
In Wau town, partners have set up a clinic at the Red Cross site, and distributed High Energy Biscuits in sev - eral locations. Some 600 households sheltering at the South Sudan Red Cross (SSRC) com-pound, churches and schools have received vital non-food items, and health clinics have been established at the SSRC compound and Cathedral Church. Nutrition part - ners screened vulnerable children and women in Lokoloko, Aljazeera, and Hai Kosti on 28 June and are following-up to provide treatment to those identi-fied as acutely malnouished. Key supplies have been distributed – including soap, buckets and jerry cans – to support healthy hygiene practices, and partners are working to ensure safe water and sanitation facilities are available. One suspected measles case has been reported, and partners are planning an emergency measles vaccination campaign.
In the coming days, humanitarian partners aim to reach villages outside of Wau town in the Greater Baggari area to provide assistance. Many of these villages were already host - ing people displaced during the February 2016 fighting and their coping capacities have been seriously strained.