Prepositioning of relief aid nearly complete ahead of South Sudan rains, UN refugee agency says

Ahead of the oncoming rainy season in South Sudan, the United Nations refugee agency today said it nearly completed prepositioning aid supplies for more than 230,000 people in Unity and Upper Nile States in the north of the country.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has either prepositioned in warehouses or is moving in truck convoys enough aid to cover the needs of 110,000 people in Unity State, spokesperson Dan McNorton told journalists in Geneva.

“Once the final deliveries have been made, pre-positioned supplies in Unity State will include: 52,052 plastics sheets; 58,308 blankets; 56,926 sleeping mats and 2,404 family tents,” Mr. McNorton specified.

The last trucks carrying these items, along with some mosquito nets, jerry cans, kitchen sets and soap, left Juba on Thursday. Since the logistics operation began in mid-April 144 trucks have delivered materials to UNHCR operation in the north.

In the Upper Nile State, where some 117,000 people live in refugee camps, the UN agency is preparing supplies for 120,000 people.

“Supplies in Upper Nile state will include: 62,429 plastic sheets; 95,306 blankets; 85,617 sleeping mats and 5,143 family tents as well as other items,” Mr. McNorton said.

The agency also plans to use the White Nile River, which flows through the Upper Nile State, to transport additional aid, if required.

Each boat can carry up to 60 metric tonnes of aid for operations in both Unity and Upper Nile, and the Nile remains navigable throughout the rainy season.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July 2011 after voting overwhelmingly for separation in a referendum held as part of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended decades of civil war.