South Sudan Bill could have ‘catastrophic effects’ on aid

Aid agencies working in South Sudan have warned that a new Bill introduced by the country's parliament could prevent charities from providing basic services in the war-torn country and lead to "potentially catastrophic effects".

The Bill, which was passed by South Sudan’s parliament on Tuesday, is set to regulate the activities of non-governmental organisations working in the African nation immersed in an 18-month civil war.

A statement from the South Sudan NGO Forum voiced concerns that the Bill would prevent organisations from working with people affected by the conflict.

“NGOs are already under mounting administrative pressure and often subject to arbitrary enforcement of rules and regulations,” the statement read. “If the Bill makes getting assistance to people harder rather than easier, it could cost lives at a time of tremendous suffering for South Sudanese communities.”

Zlatko Gegic, country director for Oxfam South Sudan, warned that at least six million people were in need of humanitarian assistance.

“While we understand the need for appropriate regulation of non-government organisations,” he said, “we must ensure any regulation fosters a robust and independent civil society and provides for the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance.”

Coup d’etat panic

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed and more than 1.6 million internally displaced in South Sudan since civil war broke out in December 2013, after president Salva Kiir accused former vice-president Riek Machat of planning a coup d'etat.

International medical staff working in the town of Leer in the Unity state – one of the worst of affected areas – have been forced to withdraw and halt all medical services due to heavy fighting.

Médecins Sans Frontières say more than 2,000 people, mostly women and children, have sought refuge at a hospital near the town of Bentiu, north of Leer, suffering from exhaustion after fleeing and hiding in the bush without food or safe drinking water.

At least 28 towns and villages in the Unity state have been attacked and burned in the past fortnight, with reports of killings, rape, abduction and looting. The United Nations says more than 300,000 people are in need of life-saving assistance.

“Today, we withdraw again with a heavy heart,” said Paul Critchley, MSF’s head of mission, “because we know how civilians will suffer when they are cut off from critical, lifesaving medical care.”