UN humanitarian coordinator in South Sudan urges government to lift taxes after aid disruptions

The United Nations’ top humanitarian official in South Sudan urged the government to remove newly imposed taxes and charges that humanitarian agencies say have disrupted aid deliveries and forced the suspension of some life-saving airdrops.

Anita Kiki Beho, the UN humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan, said the new measures imposed since February at border crossings and within the country have affected more than 60,000 people so far and could impact 145,000 people by May if the charges remain in place. Beho said aid agencies have been forced to halt life-saving airdrops of food assistance amid dwindling fuel supplies and higher operational costs.

“We call on the government of South Sudan to uphold all agreements with humanitarians, including our nongovernmental organization partners, and immediately remove new taxes and fees so that we can continue to support people in need,” Beho said in the UN briefing. The humanitarian coordinator’s office estimated the measures would increase the cost of food assistance and UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) operations by 339,000 per month; the transcript did not specify the currency for that figure.

The UN briefing did not list specific exemptions or a timetable for lifting the fees. UN News reporter Chenay Hart delivered the report for the weekly bulletin.