Poor road conditions between Juba and Abyei have delayed the delivery of food rations from World Food Programme to some villages in the Abyei area.
People in Mading Jokthiang were already experiencing food shortages after a bad harvest, according to Abyei Today newsletter. One resident said people there were struggling to feed their children. Another said the sick were too weak to walk to hospital because of the lack of food.
ACAD, a local organization that distributes food in Abyei, told Abyei Today no food was available in their Wunrok stores because the road between Juba and Bahr el Ghazal was not accessible.
Deng Luar Mayol from the Relief and Rehabilitation Office office said WFP would try to deliver more food soon, but people should also use their own resources to grow food in future.
Meanwhile, floodwaters in parts of Abyei are making it impossible for some people to plant a second crop this year. Many were relying on a second harvest because their first crops failed.
Yak Kuot, a farmer in Machbong village, told Abyei Today they had planted a second crop but the amount of standing water had ruined the sorghum. Agriculture engineer at the AAA, Kiir Aguer Chol, said the authority helped people last year with their second crop but this year their tractors were not working properly.
Nyandeng Arop Ayuel a resident of Majbong village said neighbors should help each other with food because otherwise many people would struggle.
File photo