Cologne/Wau. More than eight million people have fled Sudan since the beginning of the war around eleven months ago. The majority of them live as refugees in their own country, but almost 600,000 are now seeking protection in the neighboring country of South Sudan. In the northern district of Western Bahr el Ghazal, Malteser International has repaired more than a dozen wells to provide around 7,000 people with drinking water. The German Federal Foreign Office is supporting Malteser International in its emergency relief.
"Among the people who are now crossing the border are many who fled the violence and economic hardship from South Sudan to Sudan and now have to flee once more because their lives are in danger again. The villages such as Bor Medina, which are now being increasingly populated, were almost deserted for years and the entire infrastructure had virtually collapsed. The people there literally lack everything at the moment: toilets, drinking water, food and much more," reports Mathis Biermann, Program Manager for South Sudan at Malteser International, from the regional capital of Wau.
"The humanitarian situation in South Sudan is likewise very difficult. Around nine million people here are currently dependent on food, medicine and other relief supplies. The large number of people fleeing Sudan is further worsening the situation," says Biermann.
Since 1996, Malteser International has been active in the region, which has been part of South Sudan since the division of Sudan. Malteser International is committed to improving the living conditions of the suffering population. The aid projects focus on the areas of nutrition, water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH) as well as health.
Attention Editors:
Photos for download can be found here.
Mathis Biermann, Program Manager for South Sudan, is available for interviews and comments.
Contact: +49 (0)221 9822- 7181, katharina.kiecol@malteser-international.org
The people affected in South Sudan are in urgent need of donations:
Malteser Hilfsdienst e. V.
IBAN: DE10 3706 0120 1201 2000 12
S.W.I.F.T.: GENODED 1PA7
Keyword: "South Sudan"
