SOUTH SUDAN / AID

The United Nations refugee agency today launched a massive airlift from Kenya to bring urgently needed aid to around 50,000 Sudanese refugees in South Sudan. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:48
• Production Date: 20 December 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: SOUTH SUDAN
• MAMS Id: U111220d

Description

STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / AID
TRT: 1.48
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: NATS

DATELINE: 20 DECEMBER, NAIROBI, KENYA / MALAKAL, MABAN COUNTY IN UPPER NILE STATE, SOUTH SUDAN

20 DECEMBER, NAIROBI, KENYA

1. Med shot, UNHCR cargo in the airport’s warehouse
2. Wide shot, weighing scale for cargo
3. Wide shot, tractor pulling cargo to the runway
4. Tilt up, moving cargo on the tractor
5. Wide shot, cargo plane being loaded
6. Med shot, crane operator
7. Wide shot, cargo plane being loaded
8. Med shot, handlers pushing in cargo into the plane
9. Med shot, cargo plane being loaded

20 DECEMBER MALAKAL, SOUTH SUDAN

10. Wide shot, Plane landing
11. Various shots, plane being unloaded

20 DECEMBER, DORO CAMP IN MABAN COUNTY IN UPPER NILE STATE, SOUTH SUDAN

12. Wide shot, truck full of goods leaving the tarmac
13. Wide shot, aid distribution
14. Med shot, goods being prepared for distribution
15. Med shot, beneficiaries receiving UNHCR's supplies
16. Wide shot, people queuing
17. Med shot, woman leaving with supplies
18. Wide shot, group of people

Storyline

The United Nations (UN) refugee agency today (20 December) launched a massive airlift from Nairobi in Kenya to bring urgently needed aid to around 50,000 Sudanese refugees in South Sudan.

The first of 18 flights using C-130 Hercules aircraft left Nairobi this morning carrying 12 metric tons of supplies, including plastic sheets and rolls, sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets, buckets, jerry cans and kitchen sets. It landed at around 11 a.m. local time at South Sudan's Malakal airport, a major landing strip close to the refugee sites.

The remaining 17 flights will deliver an additional 272 metric tons of relief supplies from UNHCR's global stockpiles in Nairobi to Malakal. The items were taken by road either to Maban County in Upper Nile state – some three hundred kilometres to the north-east – or westwards to Unity state. The 18 flights will cost an estimated 1.5 million dollars, while the aid supplies being delivered are valued at 2.5 million dollars.

In recent months, Upper Nile and Unity states in South Sudan have been generously receiving refugees from fighting in Sudan's Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states.
In Upper Nile state, at least 40,000 refugees have arrived since September. UNHCR is aware of 25,000 refugees at the Doro camp, and an estimated 15,000 stranded in the Elfoj border area. Both are in Maban County.

There are also reports of some 27,000 refugees scattered across the Guffa border area further north. UNHCR border monitoring teams are trying to reach these remote areas to verify the reports.
So far, the UN refugee agency has distributed existing in-country supplies to more than 19,000 of the Sudanese refugees in Doro camp. Items include plastic sheets for shelter, mats for sleeping, and blankets for cold evenings, buckets and jerry cans for water, mosquito nets to prevent malaria, soap for cleaning and kitchen sets to cook with. UNHCR's warehouse in the camp is now almost empty and awaiting replenishment from the Nairobi airlift.