Bishop Johh Gateek from the Diocese of Malakal reports that the situation in Unity state is fragile and volatile, as floods add to the suffering of the border communities still under continued air attack by the Sudan government.

Continued heavy rain at the end of the rainy season has caused rivers to flood across many states in South Sudan, damaging roads, crops and settlements and forcing people to move to higher land. The Republic of South Sudan launched an international appeal, estimating that nearly 200,000 people are seriously affected and in dire need of humanitarian assistance, this total will increase as it is still raining and some areas are still being assessed. The flooding in Unity state has left is cut off from other states and the capital Juba, as the limited road network is impassable. Since the border demarcation between Sudan and South Sudan is not completed, Unity state is a regular target for aerial bombardment by northern forces, adding to the problems of the population.

The Anglican Alliance is appealing for funds to support the Diocese of Malakal as it responds to the needs in Unity state, focusing on Bentiu and Rubkoana counties, although all nine counties are affected. Local assessments suggest that 247,000 people are affected in Unity state, one of the worst affected state. The diocese asks for help to provide food, clean water, medical care and referrals, while the local church will provide clothing.

“People have been forced to leave their homes because it was becoming difficult to live there anymore. Their crops have been destroyed. They have been submerged by water. Their houses are gone. Their food and everything else is gone,” said Salva Chol Ayat, deputy governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state. "The livelihood of most of our people depends on crops which have now been affected", he added.

Malakal Diocese is well placed to respond at a local level particularly reaching out to remote areas and focussing on the elderly, the disabled, pregnant women and nursing mothers, while the national government and humanitarian partners are responding to the emergency on a larger scale. The United Nations Organisation for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Humanitarian bulletin 14-20 October 2013) highlights that measles is a major concern and major immunisation campaign is ongoing in response for measles and polio (see link here), though the government of South Sudan has just announced that the country is free of polio when further analysis of samples proved the suspected cases were negative (see link humanitarian bulletin 21-27 October).  

More information about the floods across South Sudan can be found here, the map highlights that many counties of Unity state are still waiting either for assessment or response, due to access issues in this remote border state. These access challenges affect the whole country to different extents, but aid organizations have so far reached over 117,000 of the nearly 200,000 flood-affected people.

Rev Joseph Loabe, acting General Manager of SUDRA, the Sudanese Relief and Development Agency of the Anglican Church says “This project targets Unity State specifically because of increased humanitarian catastrophe in the area due to continued attacks by the Sudan government, cattle raiding and massive displacement as the result of floods. The Area Diocese of Bentiu is calling for urgent intervention as necessary in order to assist and alleviate the suffering populations. Given the magnitude of the humanitarian situation, this supersedes the efforts of any single agency, therefore, the voice of the Church in conjunction to that of the state as well other sectors that calls for humanitarian response is loud and needs immediate response in order to save lives.“

Bishop Gattek is asking for help to provide assistance targeted at 4,000 vulnerable beneficiaries (the aged, disabled, nursing mothers and pregnant women) within communities in Rubkoana and Bentiu counties of Unity state, as detailed below:

1. Objective of the response: 

a)- To provide food services to 4,000 vulnerable people  within two months

c)- To provide water in Rubkoana and Bentui in  order to reduce water borne diseases.

c)- To provide drugs and mosquito nets to the vulnerable  in Rubkoana and Bentui

2. Targeted area: _Bentui and Rubkona

3. Targeted community: _Nuer, Dinka and Nuba from southern Kordofan (Sudan)

4. Number of people to be helped (please give numbers of individual people, not households or 

     villages_ 20,3000 people

 5.Time frame: Total duration is six month, but we are targeting a shorter intervention of two month but working towards six months if funding is available: November – April 2014 based on your proposed limit of pledging.

6. Who is responsible for carrying out your plan _ Field officer with other nine members forming a

task force that will voluntarily work under the Area Diocese of Bentui; SUDRA will supervise and monitor this operation. These volunteers will be given little incentive for periods of three months to facilitate their sacrifices as well encourage the effort being exerted.

7. Proposed budget -

The Sudanese Relief and Development Agency SUDRA which is part of the Church in Sudan will receive and manage the donations to this appeal and monitor the movement and distribution of resources. If you would like to support this appeal you can donate to:

Beneficiary bank: KCB Bank (Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd.)
Beneficiary Bank branch: Buluk 
Beneficiary bank account number: 5500036564
Name on bank account: ECS SUDRA
SWIFT code: KCBLKENX
Bank address: Ministries Road, Buluk, Juba, South Sudan; also Kenya Commercial Bank, Ltd., P.O. Box 48400.0010, Moi Avenue, Nairobi, Kenya

Please add a note/reference to transfer: for Unity appeal

Further details can be obtained from the relief manager Janice.proud@aco.org