UN decries humanitarian access impediments in South Sudan

A UN body has decried increased humanitarian access constraints in South Sudan, saying that over 100 incidents were reported in November alone, the highest number recorded in any one month since June 2015.

"Since July, the monthly average has been 90 incidents, compared to an average of 63.5 per month during the first half of the year," the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report on Thursday.

According to the OCHA, of the 100 humanitarian access incidents recorded in November, about 66 percent involved violence against humanitarian personnel or assets, while 26 percent involved interference in humanitarian action, including interference in administrative matters (five), illegal or arbitrary taxation (seven) and expulsion of staff (two).

The UN body says aid workers were in November denied access to areas outside of Yei town in Central Equatoria and Wau town in Western Bahr El Ghazal, where tens of thousands of people are in need of assistance and protection.

South Sudan fell into civil war in December 2013 after a fall-out between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Machar.

A peace deal signed last year under UN pressure returned Machar to his old post in a unity government led by Kiir in April, but failed to hold as renewed fighting between forces of the rival leaders erupted in July.

Last week, Eugene Owusu, Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, expressed concern about the impact of a series of bureaucratic impediments and access constraints on relief operations in the war-torn country.

"I call on all parties to allow free, safe and unhindered humanitarian access so that our colleagues can reach and assist people whose lives have been torn apart by this crisis," Owusu said.

The OCHA says needs in South Sudan continue to rise due to the conflict and economic decline. Endit