AFRICA/SOUTH SUDAN - Medical care precluded to thousands of people who have no water and food

Bentiu (Agenzia Fides) - Because of the ongoing conflict, thousands of people in Bentiu, capital of Unity State in South Sudan, have no medical care, and about 10 thousand displaced are heading towards Leer, in the south of the Country. Thousands of people have no access to water, food and medical care. The recent looting which have taken place in the premises of the organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF), jeopardize the operations of the NGO and humanitarian response to the ongoing violence. The appeal of the general director of MSF is that all parties involved in the conflict have to respect the integrity of medical facilities, ensure access to affected communities and enable patients to reach the facilities regardless of their origin and ethnicity. MSF was one of the few humanitarian organizations still present in the city to provide assistance to the displaced and wounded in the hospital. Committed in Bentiu since 2010, before the war the organization provided care for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS patients. After the outbreak of the conflict, it started focusing on the treatment of the wounded in hospital in the postoperative phase and in administering basic medical care to the displaced who have sought refuge in one of the bases of the United Nations. Just a few days ago, with the worsening of security conditions, MSF teams were transferred to Leer, about three and a half hours away, where they provided support to their colleagues in the hospital that MSF has been managing for 25 years.
Thousands of people have fled the city without taking anything with them and operators try to provide assistance along the road from Bentiu to Leer. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 21/01/2014)