Civilians returning to resettle in Kajo-Keji County of South Sudan’s Yei River State are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, a local official said.

Speaking to Radio Tamajuz on Tuesday, Kajo-Keji County Commissioner Amos Longa Modi said 1,195 people, mostly women, children and the elderly who returned by end of last year, lack food, non-food items, medicines and clean drinking water.

He appealed to humanitarian organizations operating in the state to intervene and help the vulnerable people to restart their livelihoods.

“The number of family heads is 311 and the 1,195 individuals who are mostly children, women and the elderly. They are returning to the county to rebuild their lives but they need assistance,” said Modi.

He added, “My appeal to the humanitarian organizations is to help the community with food and non-food items”.

Majority of the returnees, the official said, were those who fled Kajo-Keji and sought refuge in Uganda when violence broke out in 2016.

He, however, said that the security situation in the area was normal after government forces and the armed opposition faction held several meetings to implement the revitalized peace accord.

“The security situation is normal and there are no threats and disturbances as per reports from civilians on the ground. We are now implementing the peace agreement. We embrace it,” said Modi.

“We thank the president [Salva Kiir] and other parties for having signed the peace agreement to end the suffering of the people and it is us now to own and embrace the peace,” he added.

Kajo-Keji was one of the Yei River state counties badly affected by South Sudan’s civil war. It has witnessed gruesome human rights violations and massive displacements in 2016.