Didier Reynders and Alexander De Croo worried about the escalation of violence in South Sudan
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo are concerned about the sudden resurgence of violence in Juba, South Sudan, since 7 July. They call for an urgent end to the fighting by all concerned. They urge the parties to fully and immediately implement the peace agreement of August 2015. Belgium follows the situation on the ground closely and consults with other countries and organizations, including the EU and the UN. In that respect, Belgium welcomes yesterday’s statement by the UN Security Council and by the UN Secretary General.
Violence is unacceptable and brings the country further away from a solution to the current crisis. Above all, Minister Reynders and Minister De Croo condemn the attacks against civilians - the first and most fragile victims of this conflict – and against staff of the United Nations. They are particularly worried about the humanitarian consequences of this degrading situation. As about half of the South Sudanese population already relies on humanitarian aid, the Ministers worry that the impact of this escalation of hostilities will aggravate the situation even more.
Belgium continuously supports these victims through its contributions to various international humanitarian organizations. In 2016, Minister De Croo already pledged 3 million euros for the humanitarian fund for South Sudan managed by UN OCHA. Last year, the direct contribution to humanitarian organizations in South Sudan amounted to nearly 4 million.
There are no reports of Belgian victims of the violence of recent days. The Belgian embassy in Kampala, Uganda (which has South Sudan in its jurisdiction) and the Foreign Affairs crisis center are following the situation closely and are in contact with Belgians who are still in South Sudan.
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