Bishop of Rumbek appeals for assistance

The Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Rumbek, Ceasar Mazzolari, on Wednesday described as “very desperate” the humanitarian situation in in Western Bahr al-Ghazal. Intense military activity had displaced what the diocese estimated was 57,000 people, who were now in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, according to the Sudan Catholic Information Office (SCIO). “My first appeal is for food to be dropped at Raga to help attract the desperate civilians now scattered in the surrounding areas to return to their homes,” Mazzolari stated.

“I have seen the place and can confirm that there is so much suffering. I appeal to all people of goodwill to seize the earliest opportunity to help save as many lives as possible,”
Bishop Mazzolari stated. “The church has left a team of its personnel on the ground to run our very small and run-down dispensary and we appeal for assistance to help beef up our medical and relief activities.” In his appeal, Mazzolari said the Catholic Church could organise temporary accommodation for any agency willing to assist the people of Raga, through Lokichoggio in northwestern Kenya, through Uganda, the Central African Republic (CAR) or Sudan’s Western Equatoria province.

The Bishop of Rumbek expressed fear that many of the displaced heading north from Raga, and particularly children, could die of hunger and thirst in what was a largely desert area. The SCIO also referred to reported clashes between southerners and Arabs, both displaced from Raga, as separate groups of internally-displaced people (IDPs) moved northwards. Angered by the SPLA triumph in Raga, the government in Khartoum had bombed the town several times since it was captured, the report added.