UN migration agency suspends humanitarian operations in northeastern South Sudan

The UN migration agency said on Tuesday that it had been forced to suspend humanitarian activities in Wau Shilluk in South Sudan's Upper Nile area due to violent clashes over the weekend putting thousands at risk.

In a statement released in Juba, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it had also postponed the registration of nearly 3,000 vulnerable individuals for humanitarian assistance indefinitely due to this increased insecurity.

"Civilians will undoubtedly suffer as sporadic fighting makes it more difficult for aid workers to deliver services," IOM South Sudan Chief of Mission William Barriga said.

"Violence in Upper Nile has once again hindered the ability of IOM and other relief agencies to provide assistance to populations seriously in need," he added.

Clashes between government and opposition forces began south of Wau Shilluk on Jan. 25 and continued to spread in the direction of Wau Shilluk and Malakal town.

The shelling gradually grew closer to Wau Shilluk on Jan. 27 just as the 14-person IOM team was about to resume registration, forcing staff to evacuate to safer areas with the support of World Vision, which provides humanitarian aid in the area.

Wau Shilluk is located across the White Nile River from Malakal town, one of South Sudan's largest urban areas before the current crisis and home to more than 33,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are sheltering at the protection of civilians (PoC) site.

According to the IOM, an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people remained to be registered when the team was forced to evacuate.

Three years of civil crisis have left millions in need of lifesaving humanitarian aid in South Sudan.

More than 1.83 million people have been displaced internally and another 1.17 million people have fled to neighboring countries since the crisis erupted in December 2013. Endit