Catholic relief agencies are among the aid organisations forced to evacuate South Sudan due to heavy fighting.
Trocaire, the Irish bishops’ aid agency, had been providing humanitarian aid to thousands of people in Unity State, in the north of the country, through Caritas Malakal, before the recent escalation of fighting.
Trocaire, which withdrew its staff in late May, said ordinary people bore the brunt of attacks by Government and opposition forces and must be protected and not become targets.
Christian Aid has also withdrawn staff from the state.
Cafod, Trocaire’s counterpart in England and Wales, has suspended their programmes in Upper Nile until safe access is guaranteed, but their aid workers are still able to run their programmes in the rest of the country.
Meanwhile, South Sudanese church leaders including the Archbishop of Juba, Paolino Lukudu Loro, said an international proxy war was taking place in their country. At the end of a week’s retreat in Kigali, Rwanda on 7 June church leaders said they were aware that regional states' political, military and economic interests had caused difficulties and suspicion.
Sudan is suspected of arming rebels led by former deputy President Reik Machar, while Ugandan forces are backing government soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir. The latest outbreak of fighting began in the capital, Juba, in December 2013 following a dispute between Kiir and Machar. In two years it has displaced over two million people and killed thousands.
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