1 April 2014 - Humanitarian actors were doing everything to support South Sudanese affected by the current crisis, but the most durable solution was peace, the head of the UN Refugee Agency said in Juba today.

“There is no humanitarian solution for their plight,” said António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “The solution is peace and only the South Sudanese can bring peace to their country.”

Mr. Guterres was speaking at the end of a two-day visit to the country with World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Ertharin Cousin to review the ongoing response to the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan.

The two UN agency chiefs urged the international community to do everything possible to support conflicting parties to forge peace.

“When we think about the half a million refugees of South Sudan that we have supported in the past and when we think about the hope and joy they had coming back, we feel an enormous solidarity with the people of South Sudan,” said Mr. Guterres. “Now unfortunately, we have about 800,000 people displaced inside the country and 250,000 refugees from South Sudan in the countries around.”

During their visit, the relief chiefs met with displaced people in Nyal camp in Unity State, as well as at a protection site at a UNMISS base in Juba.

The crisis could endanger millions of lives in coming months if urgent action was not taken to end the conflict and support vulnerable civilians, they said.

They added that in addition to limited resources, insecurity was hampering the ability to deliver assistance.
Mr. Guterres and Ms. Cousin, who met with President Salva Kiir, appealed to the South Sudanese government to facilitate access for humanitarian actors to reach all civilians in need.

“We need the support of the leadership of this country because it is too difficult for the humanitarian community to access those in need,” said Ms. Cousin. “All our organizations are short of resources and airlifting food triples the cost of delivering food. Providing access now ahead of the rains will help to ensure prepositioning of enough food.”