Attacks on aid workers increasing in South Sudan, UN says

RENK COUNTY, South Sudan – The United Nations says attacks against aid workers are increasing in South Sudan.

A statement by the humanitarian co-ordinator there, Serge Tissot, says the attacks also put millions of South Sudanese in peril amid the country’s civil war. Millions face severe hunger.

The world’s youngest nation has become one of the most dangerous places for aid workers to operate. Eighty-two have been killed since 2013, including 15 this year. Many are local workers.

The U.N. says attacks include the looting of warehouses and trucks and the loss of tons of food aid.

The world body has repeatedly asked South Sudan’s government to better protect aid workers and let them do their jobs without restrictions.

Government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny says it is “unbecoming” to think authorities are targeting aid workers.