Residents in South Sudan’s Lainya County of Yei River State say they lack basic services as thousands of displaced people return to their homes in and around Lainya County.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Lainya County Paramount chief Simon Ladu said there are over 18,000 IDPs who are returning to the area are dire need of medicine, water, food, and non-food items.
Ladu said most of the people lost all their belongings when fighting broke out in 2016 and appealed to the government and humanitarian organizations operating in South Sudan to assist them.
“We the civilians in Lainya County are suffering because many of our pregnant mothers are dying in the bushes without access to medical care and access. Children and the elderly in the bushes are living without clothes in their bodies, children are dying from simple diseases because there are no medicines," he said.
Chief Ladu urged the government and opposition leaders to work hard and restore peace and stability and end the suffering of the local population in Lainya County.
“Things are not good in the communities, there are no schools, health centers, and clean water points. We have lost everything and as community leaders and the citizens we are calling on the government and opposition to bring for us lasting peace because people are living under harsh conditions in the villages,” he deplored.
An official at the state Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) speaking on condition of anonymity said they are working with humanitarian partners to ensure there is a response to the needs of a growing population resettling in Lainya county.