JUBA, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The UN senior relief official in South Sudan on Friday called for urgent scale up of humanitarian assistance in Tamburu in Western Equatoria which recently witnessed an influx of over 18,000 IDPs due to an escalation of fighting in the surrounding areas.
Alain Noudehou, the Humanitarian Coordinator, called on warring parties to the conflict to allow unhindered access of humanitarian supplies to the affected people.
"We are calling on all sides to facilitate safe access for humanitarian assistance in order that we can provide crucial assistance to displaced populations," Noudehou said in a statement issued in Juba.
Noudehou on Thursday led a delegation of UN agencies including international aid organizations to Tambura where they met with a group of recently displaced women and community leaders struggling to provide their families with basic necessities.
"In my conversation with the Governor of Tambura State, we agreed that their needs cannot be neglected due to challenges relating to access, in accordance with international humanitarian law," he said.
The UN official said these women shared their hope that the high-level peace talks currently ongoing will lead to an immediate ceasefire.
According to Noudehou, the women also expressed their desire to return home when fighting stops, noting that until then they need to be provided with dignified shelter, food and water.
"The UN leadership in South Sudan have serious concerns about the deteriorating situation in Tambura. "Our main concern remains for the wellbeing of families, particularly children, who play no part in fighting but need basic services to survive," he said.
Noudehou said the UN will continue to monitor the situation and remain dedicated to providing assistance where needed.
South Sudan has been wracked by violence and humanitarian crisis since late 2013, following a descent into faction fighting between forces loyal to the President Salva Kiir and then Vice-President Riek Machar.
The UN estimates that about 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally and at least 7 million people risk starvation.
