UNITY – It has not been an easy year for communities in Leer, a county in South Sudan’s Unity state.

Since January, people here have been caught up in spiralling conflict, leading to loss of lives, displacement, and a dire humanitarian situation.

Things got worse over the past week with numerous villages south of Leer town being looted and burnt. Critically, Adok port, the second-largest economic hub in the state, is reportedly destroyed, and violence against women is said to be rising.

This latest spate of violent attacks resulted in an estimated 1,000 displaced families seeking refuge at the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) training center in Muon, a location some 17 kilometers from the main town.

Peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have stepped up patrols and are engaging with communities to restore calm and stability.

According to Hiroko Hirahara, the Head of the UN Peacekeeping mission’s Field Office in Bentiu, the situation on the ground, while relatively peaceful now, remains critical.

“When conflict first broke out in the beginning of the year, we saw a massive influx of displaced persons flocking to Leer,” revealed Ms. Hirahara.

“Our Ghanaian peacekeepers have been doing all they can to protect and sustain these newcomers, working with local authorities to ensure their security and providing emergency humanitarian services such as clean drinking water,” she continued.

“With latest instances of violence leading to fresh displacement, peacekeepers are redoubling efforts to build community confidence and bolster the security situation but the humanitarian situation in and around Leer is more alarming than ever,” cautioned the high-ranking UNMISS official.

For Paulino Kuch Mawich, Coordinator, Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, the plight of the newly displaced in Muon is deeply worrying.

“Community members gathered at the SSPDF training center are in a state of shock. They need food, shelter, water, and medical care but it is hard to estimate when much-needed humanitarian assistance will reach them. UNMISS peacekeepers are providing emergency first aid and drinking water but it’s not enough,” said Mr. Mawich.

Major Frederick Ganfaa, a peacekeeper from Ghana leading the mission's response on the ground confirms Mr. Mawich’s testimony. “I have just returned from a patrol to Muon and people there need aid beyond which we, as peacekeepers, can provide. However, we will continue to make sure they are safe and meet their urgent requirements as best as we can,” stated the Major. 

Regular services and humanitarian aid in Leer have been disrupted because humanitarian workers were recently evacuated for their own safety.

“UNMISS troops managed to evacuate humanitarian workers stranded in violence-affected areas last week,” Ms. Hirahara added. “Ghanaian peacekeepers brought some 150 humanitarian partners into their own base in Leer to protect them effectively. We are now sending reinforcements to strengthen Blue Helmets on the ground so that they can intensify ongoing efforts to protect civilians,” she added.

Unity state is beleaguered by the worst flooding in 60 years and these conflicts have exacerbated already pressing humanitarian needs.