South Sudan - IOM is appealing for USD 93.3 million to respond to the ongoing crisis in South Sudan through 2015.

Aid agencies anticipate that over 6.4 million people will need assistance in the first quarter of 2015, including 1.9 million internally displaced people (IDPs), 290,000 refugees and millions facing food insecurity.

“IOM has 400 staff working in eight sub-offices throughout South Sudan. The needs here are as immense and diverse as the country and IOM will continue to play a key role in the humanitarian response,” said IOM South Sudan Chief of Mission David Derthick.

On 15 December 2013, violence broke out in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, and quickly spread throughout the country. The humanitarian consequences of the ongoing crisis include massive population displacement, high rates of death, disease and injuries, severe food insecurity, disrupted livelihoods and wide scale malnutrition.

One year into the crisis, over 1.4 million people are internally displaced. Of these, over 100,000 individuals are seeking physical protection within UN (UNMISS) bases. This number is expected to increase as sporadic fighting continues and the frontlines of battle continue to shift.

The current crisis occurs against the backdrop of chronic poverty, as South Sudan remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

Tensions are particularly high in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states, where control has shifted between the warring parties several times in the past year. In 2015, the humanitarian community expects the total number of IDPs to rise to 1.95 million.

For more information please contact

Jennifer Pro

IOM South Sudan

Tel:  +211 920 885 988

Email:  jpro@iom.int