Residents of Lafon County in Torit State could face hunger after floods destroyed farmlands in the area, a local official warned.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, the county Commissioner Ukachi Mengisto Uwero said flood waters have forced several residents to leave their homes in search for food.
“The flood has affected Lafon seriously… All crops are completely destroyed and people are starving. You find households leaving Lafon for Juba, through Mogiri road because the situation is alarming. The whole county is affected,” Uwero said.
He further said floods have affected thousands of people in the county. “As a flat land, flood waters from all directions flow to Lafon,” he said.
The commissioner appealed for food and medicines to assist the suffering population. “We are really appealing to all the humanitarian workers at the state and national level if they could really rescue the situation in Lafon. As we talk now, there are some water-borne diseases and when it comes to famine, people are starving,” Uwera said.
“Some agencies like WFP [World Food Programme] and their partners can provide emergency food,” he stressed.
The official said the poor condition of roads should not hinder the provision of humanitarian aid meant for the suffering population in this county. “We know the road may not be accessible, but if the food could be brought and dropped around Lopit hills, we can use the able youth to go and collect the food,” he added.
On Wednesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said more than half of South Sudan’s population is struggling to have enough to eat.
The humanitarian institution pointed out that while food insecurity has improved slightly since last year, millions of South Sudanese are still dependent on food aid for their survival.