The United Nations warned of a humanitarian crisis in South Sudan as US President Barack Obama said Washington may take action if needed after American forces were attacked in the African country.
The United Nations warned of a humanitarian crisis in South Sudan as US President Barack Obama said Washington may take action if needed after American forces were attacked in the African country.
The South Sudan humanitarian coordinator for the United Nations, Toby Lanzer, said on Sunday that the week-long politic
al fallout between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, has worsened the situation.
“It would have been difficult one week ago to imagine that things would have unraveled to this extent.”
Lanzer, who is also the deputy head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), added that “there are hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese who’ve fled into the bush or back to their villages to get out of harm’s way.”
Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes to escape the turmoil since Kiir accused Machar of trying to launch a coup.
Meanwhile, Joseph Contreras, the acting spokesperson for UNMISS, said that UN staff are trying to provide the refugees with food and shelter, but that it will get harder to cater for them all.
“Our resources are stretched very, very tightly but we are continuing to stand by the people of Unity State,” he said.
“The Mission has a collective resolve to remain in South Sudan and will not be intimidated and will continue to fulfill its mandate to protect civilians.”
On the other hand, Obama said his country may take action in South Sudan, after a US military aircraft came under attack in the violence-hit country, injuring four American soldiers, one of them critically.
"As I monitor the situation in South Sudan, I may take further action to support the security of US citizens, personnel and property, including our embassy, in South Sudan," Obama writes in a letter to Congress.
The aircraft came under attack during a reported evacuation mission in Bor city, the capital of the South Sudanese state of Jonglei.
