Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 30th April. UN top relief coordinator in South Sudan Anita Kiki Gbeho, on Monday has urged the government to lift newly imposed taxes and charges that are causing aid deliveries to be suspended, affecting tens of thousands of people.
The authorities have imposed a series of new taxes and charges at border crossings and within the country since Feb.
OCHA noted that these measures have impacted over 60,000 people in remote areas where humanitarian operations are limited. This number is expected to rise to 145,000 by the end of May if the measures remain in place.
Anita Kiki Gbeho underscored the urgent situation, stating that UN agencies have been forced to halt lifesaving airdrops of food assistance due to dwindling fuel supplies.
She said “We call on the Government of South Sudan to uphold all agreements with humanitarians, including our NGO partners, and immediately remove new taxes and fees so that we can continue to support people in need,”.
Ms. Anita Kiki Gbeho noted that the new taxes contravene the Status of Forces Agreement signed by individual agencies with the South Sudanese Government as well as Section 7 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the UN, which exempts the UN from all direct taxes and duties on imports of supplies for its official use.
According to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator’s office, the new measures would increase the cost of food assistance and the UN Humanitarian Air Service operations by $339,000 per month.
This amount could otherwise be used to feed over 16,300 people for a month, it stated.
She stressed “It is vital that our limited funds are spent on saving lives and not bureaucratic impediments,”.
Ms. Gbeho acknowledged assurances by many members of the Government of South Sudan that humanitarians are exempt.
She added that there have been no written commitments to date.
The humanitarian situation in South Sudan remains dire, with 9 million people, including 1.6 million children, required assistance and protection due to ongoing insecurity and conflict.
The violence and the cessation of food distribution in parts of Ethiopia, thousands of people have returned to South Sudan, often arrived in underdeveloped areas as highly vulnerable populations since the war in Sudan began in April 2023.
UN reiterated that despite increasing needs, funding for humanitarian efforts remains inadequate.
The $1.8 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2024 to support 6 million of the most vulnerable, is only 18.5 per cent funded.
