Italy has allocated 3.9 million euros for emergency interventions to support the provision of essential services to South Sudanese refugees and to the most vulnerable segments of the hosting populations in South Sudan and in the neighbouring Countries (Uganda and Ethiopia). Lack of food and assistance, compounded to precarious hygiene and sanitary conditions, determine a real threat of famine, epidemics and tension between the refugees and the local populations.

Moreover, the state of emergency is such that even humanitarian organisations have difficulty in assuring protection and relief services to the hundreds of thousands of persons in need, most of whom are women and children. The intervention activities will be carried out by the numerous Italian civil society organisations present in the areas concerned.