Government needs to guarantee security for humanitarian workers

As South Sudan joined the rest of the world on Monday to celebrate World Humanitarian Day, a lot needs to be done to shed off the horrible statistic of ranking among the most dangerous places for humanitarian workers for another successive year.

According to the Anita Kiki Gbeho, the Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, 24 attacks on aid workers have been recorded so far this year.

The grim picture observes that 267 humanitarian access incidents were reported, with 135 incidents involving direct violence against humanitarian personnel and assets between January and July. This includes 28 incidents of looting and theft.

The transitional unity government has it’s work cut out if it is to guarantee safety of aid workers and humanitarian access to the populations in most need.

Some of the things have been said over and over specifically the mushrooming road blocks that continue to delay humanitarian assistance.

The other issue is the rampant acts of banditry, and looting of humanitarian assets by armed criminal minded individuals.

The government needs to provide security across the country to ensure that not only humanitarian aid workers are protected, but also citizens of this country.