Illegal roadblocks manned by men in uniform are common across South Sudan. (-)

The UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs has documented 27 incidents related to humanitarian access constraints in South Sudan in December 2023 – with Unity State having the highest incidents.

In its monthly snapshot, OCHA said the figure showed a slight decrease from 30 incidents reported in November 2023.

The UN agency said violence against humanitarian personnel and assets and bureaucratic access impediments were the most widespread, followed by five incidents of active hostilities and four incidents of operational interference.

“One local NGO staff was killed in Jonglei State, two humanitarian personnel were detained in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Central Equatoria states; and nine staff in Unity and Western Equatoria states were relocated,” OCHA statement reads in part.

The reported indicated the Unity state registered the highest number as eight incidents were reported, followed by six in Upper Nile State and three in Central Equatoria State.

In Unity State, OCHA said: “three incidents were of active hostilities, two bureaucratic impediments, two operational interferences, and one violence and threats against humanitarian personnel and assets.”

It added that on 23 December, a locally recruited UN staff was arrested and temporarily detained by National Security Service in Aweil town, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.

The arrest was linked to the delayed payment of incentives to local hired aid workers who had supported the UN organization during a vaccination campaign.

– Bureaucratic impediments –

OCHA stated that bureaucratic impediments were among the highest number of humanitarian accesses hindrances in South Sudan last month.

Bureaucratic and Access Impediments (BAI) is any administrative restriction which affects the capacity of humanitarian actors to reach populations affected by cris and to effectively deliver assistance and protection.

OCHA said in three instances, airport authorities seized official and personal belongings such as cash and laptops from humanitarian staff in Koch, Unity State and in Bunj, Upper Nile State.

Such incidents, according to OCHA, persist due to the absence of a clear definition of the handover of project and programme assets to the Government after the completion of a project.

Active hostility incidents between armed groups in the Abyei Administrative Area, Warrap and Unity states had notable impacts on humanitarian movements and programmes in December.

Meanwhile, it said, “insecurity as a result of intercommunal clashes and fighting between armed groups led to the relocation of at least eight humanitarian personnel from Guit County to Bentiu in Unity State.

This is as attacks on a humanitarian convoy in Warrap State interupted humanitarian flights to the Abyei Administrative Area.