The Neglected Roles by Actors of Humanitarian Responses in South Sudan: The Case of Jonglei Flood-Victims in Mangala IDPs Camp

By Garang Biar Manyuon, Juba, South Sudan

Sunday, November 15, 2020 (PW) — When the humanitarian disaster occurs in any country, there are many actors that play critical roles in alleviating the suffering of the affected population. These actors include; national government, local relief structures and community based organizations, Non-governmental organizations, Red Cross and Red Crescent, United Nations Agencies, Military, Private sector and Donors.

All the above stated actors have a great deal in supporting the lives of the affected communities. I will emphasis much within the scopes of the neglected roles and duties by each of the actors of humanitarian response for the flood affected victims and displaced people in Mangala. The discussion will follow as in the below sequences;

National government’s roles in humanitarian responses: Humanitarian crisis place a tremendous burden on national authorities. It is the primary responsibility of any government to response to the humanitarian disaster in a country. When the task is too big for the government, it is still upon the government to call on the humanitarian actors to come in and help where necessary. The government must initiate, organize, coordinate and implement the humanitarian assistant in its territories.

For this matter there is always a government agency that coordinate humanitarian issues. In our case, we have Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs that oversees the implementation of humanitarian actions and the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) that coordinates the humanitarian organizations work with the government. These two important agencies are under the Gender, and Youth Cluster of Revitalized government that is being headed by Vice President HE Rebecca Nyandeng Mabior.

Examining whether the government had fulfilled its mandate in its responses to the disaster of flood in South Sudan, we find that the response is absolutely below the standard because government is a key actor in the humanitarian responses. Responding to the flooding, The President of Republic of South Sudan, HE Salva Kiir Mayardit declared the state of emergency. This was to acknowledge that the disaster is beyond the capacity of the government, thus a need ofcollaborative efforts from all the actors to address the needs of the affected population. This action by president is appreciated but is it enough? Definitely not!

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and youth and Gender Cluster are supposed to continue where the president stop and coordinate the humanitarian responses. This coordination roles of responses by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Gender and Youth cluster is one of the neglected duty that is lacking in the current humanitarian crisis of flooding in the country.

Local Relief Structures and Community Based Organization’s roles in humanitarian response: Community Based organizations and associations are actors that help in supporting the lives of the disaster affected communities. This is because they are much familiar with the local context and the community’s welfare is the prime reasons for their existence. However, for the case of South Sudan in general and Jonglei state in particular. Most of the community based associations are aimlessly focused on discussing petty issues with no or less attention on issues that address the common problems facing the community.

In fact, our CBOs are taken as a political ladder for reaching political leaders in the country. For instance, the three youth Associations’ leaders for Bor, Twic East and Duk countiesin Juba shamelessly concentrated their efforts in revitalizing the dead association of greater Bor instead of addressing the humanitarian emergency that had befallen their communities back home in Jonglei state.

Another association of wrestling focused on organizing wresting match between Jonglei and Lake State at the time that children and mothers were drowning in Jonglei state. Therefore, lack of humanitarians’ objectives by our local community associations is another neglected roles. We are supposed to try local solution to our problem before we expect help from outside.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent roles in humanitarian responses: Given the fact that all national societies of Red Cross and Red Crescents are found on the basis of serving the humanity at the time of need. Exercising this roles in accordance to the first four humanitarian principles of “Humanity, Neutrality, Impartiality and Independence” had not been observe in the current disaster of flooding in South Sudan in general and Jonglei state in Particular.

If you could see how vulnerable women and children suffered in the villages with no single support from Red Cross, you will hardly believe that South Sudan had such a body that serve humanity at the time of disaster like this. The flood victims have been left to struggle alone and it is now the principle of “survival for the fittest” only people with shoulders were able to take or ferry their family members to the high grounds whereas the weak ones remains suffering in waters.

The negligence of humanitarian principles by the South Sudan Red Cross in supporting the victims in villages of flood affected areas is unprecedented in the history of Red Cross and it is another neglected roles in the humanitarian responses.

Non-governmental organizations roles in humanitarian responses: It is true that non-governmental organizations works for a common goal of serving humanity, alleviating the suffering and give hope to the desperate disaster’s affected population. For the case of flooding in Jonglei in particular, you rarely see the effort of humanitarian organizations in meeting this goal. If you go to displaced people especially in Mangalla, no single organization is trying to meeting the needs of population.

There are no shelters, no drinking water and the WASH facilities such as latrines leave a lone the issue of food. What happen to the principle of “humanity comes first” as one of the key humanitarian imperative? All the NGOs in South Sudan had beyond doubt abundant their roles in alleviating suffering of the people affected by the disaster. This is again unprecedented in the history of humanitarian work, thus a neglected duty.

United Nations Agencies roles in humanitarian response: There many agencies of the united nations that coordinate humanitarian responses at both the global and country levels. They are members of humanitarian country team head by Humanitarian Coordinator of the UNOCHA. These include; UN OCHA, UNICEF, WHO, WFP, UNDP, UNHCR, UNFAO, and IOM. Most of these agencies are the cluster lead of humanitarian clusters such as Food Security, emergency telecommunication, protection, health, education, nutrition, camp management and coordination, WASH, Logistic, Shelter and Early Recovery clusters. 

With regards to the current humanitarian crisis caused by flooding, there is little effort given by all these UN Agencies to support the displaced population especially the ones in dire need of humanitarian assistant in Mangalla. This put into question the roles of UN in current crisis in general and the UNOCHA in particular. After the declaration of the state of emergency, OCHA and Ministry of Humanitarian affairs are supposed to organize an inter-agencies assessment in the affected places and plan the appropriate strategy to response to the need. This is one of the gap in the current humanitarian responses of flood disaster.

Donors’ roles in humanitarian responses: For the donor community, their actions are informed by the work of UNOCHA after identifying the humanitarian gaps or need through report of humanitarian needs assessment. For our current disaster, there is no much blame on the donor community because the gap is solely brought about by lack of humanitarian coordination by government, UNOCHA and other actors.

Other Humanitarian actors such as military and private sector roles: Given the weak institutional capacity of our military, there is no much blame for them to respond to the current humanitarian disaster because they don’t have a capacity to do so. I only expect them to provide security of the displaced people in different displaced locations. For the private sector, some well-wishers had been trying their best to support local youth that tried to fix the local dykes. Support at such level is worth appreciation.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that all the humanitarian actors did not live up to their responsibilities in helping the flood affected victims in South Sudan. The negligence of this key roleby each actor is an act of incompetency, lack of ethics, political reasons and inhuman attitudes that are against the humanitarian principles. It is high time that that the government especially Gender and Youth Cluster through Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has to wake up and play its humanitarian oversight roles without due negligence for some political reasons.

The United Nation that strive to support humanity across the globe should not neglect its duty of serving the humanity even if the government lack the capacity to coordinates. UN must take upon itself the plight of human suffering in Mangalla and other high grounds to give humanitarian support without prejudices. Whereas it is a shame for our local community associations especially the youth ones to stand helpless during the time that their efforts are mostly required by their communities.

The resources that had been wasted over the election of useless associations called greater Bor Youth Association should have support that vulnerable mothers and children that are suffering in the waters of Jonglei. It is high time that we should focus on issues that support humanity instead of dwelling on unfruitful political aspiration that is champion through local associations.

The author, Garang Biar Manyuon, is a concern citizen from Jonglei State who is touched by current humanitarian suffering of the displaced persons in Mangalla and elsewhere. He can be reached via his email address: garangjacobbiar@gmail.com

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