Hundreds of thousands of people have received assistance in Unity State after humanitarian partners expanded operations outside the Bentiu Protection of Civilians site in June, OCHA said in a report released yesterday. The expanded coverage comes at a time when citizens are leaving the Bentiu PoC site, and require assistance.

“Partners based in Bentiu took advantage of the dry season to extend aid to parts of Unity previously inaccessible by road” the report said. It noted that about 4,500 citizens left the Bentiu PoC in May.

The report said that health and education facilities were re-opened in the Unity area because of the expanded coverage, and basic household services were also provided to citizens. An estimated 103,400 people were supplied with food rations outside the PoC site.

“Most of those departing - mainly adult men and women – reported that they planned on engaging in farming activities in Rubkona, Guit and Koch counties” OCHA said.

There are over 310,000 people receiving humanitarian assistance and protection in southern Unity, and about 95,000 people are living in the Bentiu PoC site.

The increased services in Unity State could be threatened, however.

“Humanitarian partners have reported that their activities are increasingly impeded by under-funding,” OCHA said.

The report said that the funding gap has caused some protection activities to reduce, and a humanitarian partner may be forced to downsize its staff and discontinue nutrition activities in June.