Thousands of floods displaced residents of Twic East and Ayod counties seeking shelter in Duk County of Jonglei State are in dire need of food months after the floods destroyed their homes and livelihoods.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, several flood victims, said they are homeless and without food in parts of the Duk Padiet area for weeks.
“I left Panyagoor, Twic East County for Duk last week. We know Duk is also flood-hit. But here, unlike Twic East, we get wild fruits. We want relief aid. We have suffered a lot,” she stressed.
Another displaced Deng Manyok urged the government and aid agencies to intervene, saying they stay in the open without food.
“We settled near the airstrip in the open. It is windy, and there are no shelters even for our children. Support us with food and shelter,” he appealed.
For his part, Elijah Manyok Ayiei, the acting Duk County commissioner, said the displaced started arriving from Ayod and Twic East areas in mid-December last year and that they urgently need food.
“In the Poborkoi area, we are hosting 501 households from Twic East, while about 484 people displaced by the floods in Ayod County have resettled in the Panaru area of my county. Those people started arriving on December 20. They lack food and shelter,” he added.
Manyok also appealed to the government and aid agencies in the country to intervene.
Floods have displaced more than 350,000 people in parts of Jonglei State since July.
Last month, a report released jointly by the government and the United Nations stated that 7.24 million people in parts of the country could face food shortage sometime this year due to the combined effects of the floods, conflicts, and the global pandemic, COVID-19.