Finn Church Aid (FCA) begins humanitarian assistance in South Sudan’s capital Juba, where fighting broke out again last weekend. The 100,000 euros appropriated from FCA’s disaster fund will be allocated to food and water distribution. The work begins immediately.

Thousands of people, most of them women and children, have sought refuge in churches in Juba. Many have spent days inside church buildings without food and water, and have yet to receive any humanitarian assistance. The South Sudanese Council of Churches has petitioned organisations to provide immediate emergency relief.

FCA’s emergency relief will target 8,000 IDPs on three church premises. The allocated sum will be used to distribute water, food and other necessities. Relief will be provided in cooperation with the South Sudanese Council of Churches, the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church.

Unrest in Juba and surrounding areas continues for the fifth day despite a ceasefire declared on Monday evening. At least one hundred people have died. According to the UN, 36,000 people have been forced to flee the fighting in the capital.

In June, South Sudan was listed as the second most fragile state in the world behind Somalia. Re-erupted fighting will deliver a heavy blow to the basic living conditions of Sudanese people who are already suffering from poverty, illiteracy and violence. They will be dependent on outside assistance for a long time.

FCA is one of the very few Finnish organisations currently operating in South Sudan and in collaboration with the South Sudanese Council of Churches has strived to build peace in the country that is weighed down by ethnic and political conflict. In 2015, FCA also constructed 35 temporary schools, and secured access to education for 1,800 refugees in South Sudan.

Further information:
Marie Makweri (Nairobi), Peacebuilding Officer, tel.  +254 795 901 262 or +358 4057 14211
Satu Helin, Reporter, tel. +35840 630 8133

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