South Sudan - IOM has received 4,000 plastic sheet tarpaulins from the USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) for internally displaced people (IDPs) in South Sudan as the first heavy rains of the wet season hit overcrowded displacement camps.

The tarpaulins will help some of the estimated  62,800 civilians, including many foreign nationals, who are sheltering in eight overcrowded UN bases in Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Unity and Upper Nile states.

Since the outbreak of the conflict between government and opposition forces in December 2013, some 803,000 people have been displaced inside South Sudan and over 270,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries.

The first heavy rainfalls of the season have already resulted in flooding and the collapse of temporary shelters in many displacement sites, including the UN base in Juba and other (UN) protection areas.

"We saw numerous shelters damaged in displacement sites in Juba and in other parts of the country when the rains started a few weeks ago," said IOM South Sudan Head of Operations John McCue.

"This contribution of shelter materials will significantly help efforts to rebuild and fortify shelters and protect people struggling to survive in these difficult conditions," he notes.

Through its role as coordinator of the shelter and non-food relief item cluster, IOM South Sudan has coordinated the distribution of essential aid including shelter materials, jerry cans, blankets and cooking kits to over 378,080 people in South Sudan since the onset of the crisis in December 2013).

IOM has operated  in southern Sudan since 2004 and currently implements a range of humanitarian assistance, transition and recovery, border management and migration health initiatives countrywide.

For more information please contact

Harish Murthi
IOM Juba
Email: hmurthi@iom.int
Tel. +211 (0) 920885805