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Sudan Tribune

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Dozens of children homeless after violence in Malakal

February 28, 2016 (JUBA) – The UN Children Fund (UNICEF) said it is responding to the needs of children in the aftermath of the violence that recently occurred inside the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state capital, Malakal.

Child soldiers sit with their rifles at a ceremony held on 10 February 2015 as part of a disarmament campaign overseen by UNICEF and partners in Pibor (AFP)
Child soldiers sit with their rifles at a ceremony held on 10 February 2015 as part of a disarmament campaign overseen by UNICEF and partners in Pibor (AFP)
At least 18 people, the agency said, were killed, with children injured, distressed and separated from their parents as a result of the violence.

Together with its partners, UNICEF said it has provided tents and health supplies for mobile medical clinics, established emergency latrines, and created a child help desk to reunite unaccompanied children and mothers.

A help desk set up by the agency has reportedly registered 58 unaccompanied children, with 55 of them now reunified with their family. UNICEF and partners also provided temporary overnight care to those unaccompanied children whose parents could not be traced.

Therapeutic food for treatment of malnourished children was also provided.

“The vast majority of people sheltering in the site are women and children who have already borne the brunt of this conflict and are now once again experiencing horrific violence, trauma and displacement,” said Jonathan Veitch, the UNICEF representative in South Sudan.

“These children are going to continue to need critical child protection services in the coming weeks and months – including psychosocial support, and help with family tracing and reunification,” he added.

While it continued providing services in South Sudan, UNICEF also reminded all parties to the country’s conflict of their obligations to protect children from harm.

South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016 is reportedly only 6.5% funded, including the $21 million of Central Emergency Response Fund allocation announced by the Secretary-General in Juba on 25 February, leaving a gap of nearly $1.21 billion.

About $220 million, the UN said, is urgently needed to ensure vital supplies are procured and delivered during the dry season, before the country becomes unreachable by road.

(ST)

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