CHAPTER 6. Non-governmental Organizations (NGOS) regarding Food Security: Procurement, and Logistics Situations in South Sudan, Stories

Since Sudan’s Civil Wars started in South Sudan, NGOS has been providing Food Security to people with devastating conditions. Not only Food Security, however medicines were also provided for basic treatments, although roads, the overall ‘physical infrastructure’ were ruined and blockaded my ongoing fighting. With coordination of South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation agency (SSRR), the United Nations organization got updated where they could be able to make much safer flight for ‘supplies, logistics and appropriate procurement’ needed.

Getting NGOs delivered food security and medicines to people in the war devastated area in the South Sudan became a first priority amongst the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation agency and the South Sudan SPLM leadership since they had worked in the liaison fashion to make logistics and procurement possible even in the rogue weather conditions to which landing is so hard, but dropped food security from above the skyline space with exception of medicines since they are delicate and fragile for aircrafts dropping.

Basically South Sudanese people tended to flee into the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs)camps as well as fled into the recognized refugees’ camps. And they received their UNHCR-Food Security and other supplies with communications from SSRRA the Relief Agency for appropriate direction and paperworks needed in those Sudan’s Civil Wars periods. For instance, when I was in Panyagor town, Twic East County, Jonglei State in South Sudan before I flew for Kenya, we used to receive NGOs supplies and rations almost every month. Although my Biological father, Mr. Wuor Deng jok, and 3rd Household wife, Mrs. Achol Anhon Dau, were working for GOAL International humanitarian organization, we used to receive our UNHCR-Kakuma Refugees Camp in Kenya’s Food Security Aide. We still got NGOs Assistance through Kongor Payam districts’ Administrations in South Sudan.  And I think the same was applied to every citizens at the time. They were receiving their NGOs food security through their respective Payam districts’ Administrations. Although it was different from the refugees and Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) camps, everyone was registered with UNHCR, the Refugees Agency’s ration cards as an appropriate Humanitarian identification in UNHCR-Kakuma Refugees Camps in Kenya for Food Security Aide.

Of course, we had got supports from Non-governmental organization(NGOs)’s Food Security Aide. We still continued until South Sudan and Old Sudan brokered a peace dividend in January 2005. And in addition, we had received our support from United Nations organizations. They did not abruptly stopped our UNHCR-Food Security Aide. However, they have had expanded their projects and support systems in the South Sudan. They also have had established the Protections of Civilians(POC) site in Juba City in South Sudan. Although they have had built their UNDP Field offices in the State levels, they consolidated, and received their NGOs’  Humanitarian Assistance, especially in the time of Natural disaster. Since the South Sudan is still young, number of people are yet in both the UNHCR-Kakuma Refugees Camps in Kenya as well as in the UNHCR-Dadaab Refugees Camps in Kenya. With an influx of IDPs Returnees fleeing back for South Sudan, they probably will still need the NGOs to give them a foundation. Before they are left on their own discretions, they will contemplate whether they will be able to cultivate their crops, or not. They might still be going back to workforces with skills they have had acquired in the UNHCR, the Refugees Agency camps in East African Countries. The United Nations(UN) organizations is yet had increased their support systems almost every other year depending on the NGOs Field Assessments’ reports they daily received from the South Sudan’s Deep Southern States level offices.

South Sudan’s Physical Infrastructures, and roads Assessments

 It was terrible since there was a deep concerns of NGOs insecurity in the way to given destinations. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) logistics, and procurement became very hard, especially the NGO Food Trucks’ Convoys are loaded with the United Nations(UN)food supplies. They worried so much whether this NGOs Supplied could not make it to their respective Disaster affected areas. During the rainy season, they had to get some logistic coordinations from the SSRRA liaison Agency in South Sudan.  Summer season became a good season for NGOs to load their big convoy Trucks to South Sudan.  This context literally referred to as ‘convoys’ Trucks going to the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) camps in the South Sudan, especially in the Equatorial region, where there were established IDPs displaced camps.

With conditions of physical infrastructure in the Sudan’s Civil War time eras, people in the IDPs displaced camps have had suffered a lot of Tribal horrors. Since they had to wait for other months, especially months of rainy seasons without receiving the NGOs Food Security supplies, we waited until it became much safer for those big convoys Trucks to arrive to those respectively disaster affected Areas of logistics Trips in Internally Displaced Persons(IDP) camps in South Sudan. They probably had to make logistics trips to the IDPs displaced camps since infrastructure were destroyed and/or blockaded by Sudan’s Civil Wars arsenals. And some bridges are being constructed so that they do not collapse, in the meantime. Without restorations both sides have had waged Civil Wars without time for reconstructions. This is time for roads, and/or bridges’ reconstructions. But to avert insecurities in the Areas, all Parties have to adhere to both 2002 “Nairobi” Agreements, and 2005 CPA Agreement mandate  in Kenya.

NGOs Food Aide security blockade could happen since both South Sudan and Old Sudan had the History Narrative of fighting operations in the part of Equatorial regions in South Sudan. This was worrisome operations for all NGOS in the Country. And the South Sudan SSRRA liaison Agency also had to worry about all those logistic coordinations. Probably an enemy Army could blockade the NGOs Food Aide Security supplies in the ground. This might stop NGOs supplies from reaching South Sudanese people in the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) camps in South Sudan.This was obvious acronym for the NGOs defined Persons, who have had fled their Country of origin.  

The South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Agency(SSRRA) had worked tirelessly and relentlessly in the liaison fashion to ease such problems with the NGOS in getting NGOs food supplies to displaced people in the South Sudan. They basically loaded convoy Trucks to, especially disaster affected Areas in the Equatorial regions as well as freight their convoy Trucks into other UNHCR-refugees camps in one of those aforementioned East African Countries. And NGOs supplies is what  people depended on, in the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) camps in Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya. Without them, nobody might stand up to direct NGOs within South Sudan.