South Sudan's civil war a 'unique crisis' for aid workers

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) - The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross says South Sudan's civil war presents humanitarians with "one of the unique crises" in the world.

Peter Maurer said Monday that "uncomfortable elements of poverty" are making life even harder for millions of people already displaced by war.

Maurer said "the inability of the state to pay salaries has had so much impact" on the conflict.

He said ICRC operations in South Sudan have been displaced several times over the last three years, forcing the aid group to abandon relief facilities amid fighting.

Maurer visited parts of South Sudan last week and later toured some refugee camps in neighboring Uganda, which is struggling to keep up with more than 1 million refugees from South Sudan.