21 March 2014 - Recognizing the needs of displaced people who fled conflict for Western Equatoria State, UNMISS handed over food and other materials today in the capital Yambio.

Acting UNMISS State Coordinator Igor Despenic urged the internally displaced persons (IDPs), who arrived in Yambio in January, to remain peaceful. She said UNMISS would continue to support the government in caring for them until they were re-united with their families.

The over sixty IDPs, mostly women and children, are being supported by non-governmental organizations and the state government through the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC).

UNMISS Gender Officer Magret Jashua said UNMISS staff had voluntarily collected several items for the IDPs, including firewood, food and charcoal.

She noted that that women had continued to fight in the camp due to their diverse backgrounds and origins. “So we have come … in collaboration with social workers in Minister of Gender, Child Welfare, to engage these women in recreational activities.”

Acting Governor of Western Equatoria Sapana Abuyi assured IDPs that the government would care for them while waiting for their areas to normalize.

Western Equatoria has been peaceful since conflict broke out in Juba between anti- and pro-government forces in December 2013 and rapidly spread to other states.