A provision of basic medical care for its population is an obligation of every country and its government.
Unfortunately, in circumstances when violence becomes regularised, medical care is not always sufficiently immediate and access to hospitals may be impeded. Violence in South Sudan affects whole communities, where families are being forced to flee their homes. Internal conflict within the country turns six years on December 2019.
In Western Lakes State, South Sudan, 29 people were wounded by gunshots as a result of intercommunal clashes. The desperate need for medical care forced the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to organise air transport of the victims to Juba Military Hospital in order to attend to the wounded. Moreover, according to local media reports, 100 km north of Rumbek, 67 people were killed and approximately 100 were injured following a fight between two sub-clans. Moreover, since the beginning of the year, the ICRC evacuated 327 patients in order to provide them with necessary medical care . Violence in South Sudan keeps affecting communities, and families, after hundreds homes have been looted, are forced to flee. The war within the country turns six years on December 2019.
The Head of the ICRC Delegation to South Sudan,James Reynolds, commented: "Intercommunal violence continues to have devastating consequences in South Sudan. The only medical facility in the area is a primary health care unit, which is not equipped to handle high numbers of trauma injuries such as gunshot wounds”. He added: "We often see an increase in the number of casualties treated in the facilities we support during the dry season, but we are concerned about this sudden spike in violence. People's lives and dignity must be respected always, regardless of the reasons behind the fighting."
For further information, please read:
https://africanian.com/news/south-sudan-67-killed-100-wounded-in-clashes-in-s-sudan-icrc/
Author: Giulia Francescon; Editor: Aleksandra Kròl
