According to Annette Hearns, the deputy head of UN OCHA in South Sudan, the attackers damaged one aid worker and took items on January 18.
The Greater Pibor Administrative Area of South Sudan has received condemnation from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN OCHA, for an attack on aid workers there.
“We are united in our call for an immediate end of these repeated acts of violence against civilians and humanitarians,” Hearns said.
“At least one humanitarian worker was beaten and required medical attention. The attackers targeted the NGO looking for cash and other assets and stole valuables,” Hearns told South Sudan in Focus in a recorded audio.
UN OCHA has urged the South Sudanese government to put an end to attacks on aid workers and civilians and to prosecute those responsible.
Two humanitarian workers in the Abyei Administrative Area and a third assistance worker in Jonglei state were killed by unidentified assailants earlier this month.
Peter Van der Auweraert, Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for South Sudan said in a statement released Monday that attacks on humanitarians are “beyond comprehension” adding, “The ongoing violent attacks against humanitarians hamper the delivery of much needed life-saving support to millions of people affected in times of escalating conflict.”
South Sudanese natives are the victims of these recent attacks, according to Van der Auweraert, who also noted that the indirect victims are the nation’s most defenseless residents.
South Sudan, according to the UN, is one of the most hazardous countries in the world for aid workers. In 2022, 450 incidents were reported and nine humanitarian workers were killed while performing their duties. In 2023, three deaths among aid workers have occurred.
