from ADANE BIKILA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ethiopia Bureau
ADDIS ABABA, (CAJ News) – A HUMANITARIAN crisis is speedily unfolding on both sides of the South Sudan-Ethiopia border.
This comes amid escalating violence, displacement and a widespread cholera outbreak pushing communities to the brink.
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has issued the warning.
This follows clashes between government forces and armed groups, which initially began in Upper Nile State of South Sudan.
This conflict risks spreading to other parts of the country, while across the border, Ethiopia’s Gambella region is experiencing the effects of this violence.
According to the United Nations, approximately 10,000 displaced people have crossed into Ethiopia since the beginning of March.
Zakaria Mwatia, MSF Head of Mission in South Sudan, said the organisation had already witnessed how this violence fuelled the spread of cholera in several areas, but a larger, escalating conflict could push the entire country into an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
“We urgently call on all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians, healthcare workers, and medical facilities, and to grant unhindered access for humanitarian and medical assistance, in line with international humanitarian law,” Mwatia said.
Joshua Eckley, MSF Head of Mission in Ethiopia, said displaced people were arriving in Gambella with little more than what they could carry.
“Our teams are responding to the cholera outbreak and providing care to those arriving exhausted and in poor condition. There are significant needs, and without additional support, the situation could worsen,” Eckley said.
– CAJ News