To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the ability of humanitarian aid to access South Sudan since the 9 November 2017 order from President Salva Kiir Mayardit on that access.
Answered on
19 January 2018
We welcomed President Kiir’s November decree calling for unhindered humanitarian access. However, data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows that humanitarian aid continues to be obstructed by all parties to the conflict, including the Government of South Sudan. Challenges including levels of violence, physical obstructions to aid delivery and bureaucratic blockages still exist, despite the decree. OCHA reported that, in December 2017 alone, 111 incidents occurred where aid was obstructed, which indicates that the number of incidents has not reduced and that there has been no improvement in access since the decree. The annual total of humanitarian access incidents increased again in 2017 to 1,159, the highest so far.
We will continue to engage with South Sudan’s leaders at the highest level, asserting pressure together with our international partners, to make clear that they have a direct responsibility to improve access and stop the suffering of their people.