[JURIST] Eugene Owusu [official profile], the top United Nations humanitarian official in South Sudan on Wednesday warned [UN News Centre report] that without peace in South Sudan humanitarian conditions will continue to deteriorate. Speaking to reporters, Owusu urged that women in Sudan face a daily risk of sexual assault and rape. Owusu also warned of famine, homelessness and violence. He stated, “while humanitarians will continue to do all that is possible to alleviate suffering, the fact remains that unless the guns fall silent, the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate.”

Owusu’s recent plea comes only days after he made a similar plea to the government and opposition [JURIST report] of South Sudan to ensure the protection of civilians and aid workers in the country. South Sudan [JURIST feature], which was officially recognized [JURIST report] as an independent nation in July 201, has spent much of its brief history as a nation in civil war. Earlier in April, the United Nations Refugee Agency expressed alarm at the deteriorating condition of South Sudan’s security, as both governmental and opposition forces have been attacking civilians. In March, the Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said [JURIST report] that there is a need to establish courts and bring prosecutions against those who have committed rights abuses throughout the nation’s conflicts.