Juba, July 10, 2016 — The International Rescue Committee calls on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and engage in dialogue amid grim developments in Juba on July 8-10, 2016, in which over 271 are reportedly feared dead. Renewed fighting in the South Sudanese capital took place during the fifth anniversary of the world's youngest country, which has been embroiled in a cycle of conflict and poverty since December 2013, killing scores and displacing millions, whose lives remain on the brink.
"This weekend's rapid escalation of violence in the capital is inexcusable and the unfolding tragedy puts an already fragile peace process on hold," said Ronald Paul-Veilleux, South Sudan country director at the International Rescue Committee. "With the violence spreading toward the airport and UN bases, all parties should remember that the protection of civilians in these instances is paramount."
The 2.3 million displaced people of South Sudan already face the devastating reality of food insecurity and a faltering economy in a country that is still marred by insecurity and daily violations of the peace deal. More than one third of the country's population struggles to find enough to eat and one in four children under five-years-old are acutely malnourished. Since December 2013, one million additional people have been pushed below the poverty line, leaving a majority of workers in a worse situation than they were a decade ago.
“The last thing the people of South Sudan need is another all-out war,” Veilleux said. “They have already been through the ringer and now more than ever is the time to restore the peace, safety, and dignity they deserve.”