Kgalalelo Setlhare
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday afternoon hosted the President of the Republic of South Sudan Salva Kiir in Pretoria.
The presidents were expected to discuss issues of mutual concern.
Ramaphosa’s office said both leaders discussed the implementation of the revitalised peace agreements of August 2018 and the ongoing war in the Republic of South Sudan.
South Sudan was first recognised as an independent nation on July 9 2011, making it the 54th country in Africa.
During his visit, President Salva Kiir will also reach out to other South African leaders to encourage business investments between both countries, as South Sudan looks to build a long- lasting relationship with South Africa.
Since the start of the conflict in Sudan on 15 April, thousands have been fleeing across the border daily to South Sudan, the majority of whom are South Sudanese returnees who are now coming back to the country they had once been forced to flee.
They are arriving alongside refugees from Sudan and various other nationalities, all of whom the government has generously welcomed, the UN said.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Raouf Mazou, urged the international community not to forget about South Sudan, as the number of recorded new arrivals surpassed the 100,000 mark.
“The South Sudan situation is unique. The vast majority of people arriving are South Sudanese who are coming back to their country of origin, compelled by circumstances, returning to communities that are still impacted by insecurity, with very limited services and infrastructure.
“Many families told us they are eager to reach their home communities while also worried about what they will find when they get there,” said Raouf Mazou during his visit to Renk, the epicentre of the emergency in South Sudan, together with the acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator South Sudan, senior officials from the Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and representatives from donor countries.
A UN report showed how the majority of those fleeing the violence are arriving after long, difficult journeys, in remote border towns like Renk, where prices for basic items have skyrocketed as many goods remain scarce in the northern parts of the country, further complicating the situation for the tens of thousands still stuck in these areas.
Mazou said the UNHCR and IOM are co-leading the response with the government, and together with partners are monitoring 27 border points across the country and have set up transit centres in key locations to provide vulnerable new arrivals with immediate life-saving support.
“Teams on the ground are providing water, communal shelters, health services, food, wash services, core relief items and protection services,” Mazou added.
He said a priority is to facilitate onward movement for new arrivals to their places of origin or destination of choice. But this is not an easy feat in South Sudan, where most travel is only possible by river or air.
Furthermore, South Sudan’s rainy season is fast approaching, threatening to further impact the country’s already limited road infrastructure.
“The response from the South Sudan government has been exemplary, they have kept the borders open and welcomed all people arriving. Yet, these areas are incredibly remote and hard to access. Should people be unable to move from the border, we are facing an even more costly and complex humanitarian response and a potential dire humanitarian situation with the upcoming rainy season,” says Mazou.
According to the UN, a major concern is the wider humanitarian impact of a large unplanned influx of returnees to South Sudan – a country that is still reeling from the devastation of its brutal civil war and suffering from a deep humanitarian crisis. Over three quarters of the population was already deemed to be in need of humanitarian aid prior to the crisis in Sudan.
President Ramaphosa has appointed deputy president Paul Mashatile as a special envoy in South Sudan.
INSIDE POLITICS
