South Sudan Coronavirus (COVID-19) 26 April 2020 – an update from Barnabas Coronavirus Emergency Network

Wau, capital of Western Bahr el Ghazal state

From an archbishop

“All Christians who were displaced into churches and Internally Displaced (IDP) camps due to the fighting between Government forces and the rebel group led by the current First Vice President Dr Riek Machar in 2016 and 2017 have been forced back to their villages by the Government and the UN unprepared as part of preventive measures against covid 19. They are now affected by both hunger and lack of drinking water. This is creating two problems:

1. Conflict over the few water points available in the villages.
2. The very social distancing for which they were removed from the churches and IDP camps is not being observed. Instead it is even being made worse as too many people gather over the few available water points without regard to any social distancing at all.”