Lasu refugees stranded on South Sudan-Congo border

Thousands of refugees camping in Lasu Payam of the South Sudan-Congo border town are stranded without relief food and medical assistance, civilians tell Radio Tamazuj.

Thousands of refugees camping in Lasu Payam of the South Sudan-Congo border town are stranded without relief food and medical assistance, civilians tell Radio Tamazuj.

“We are really suffering — we don’t have something to eat. Secondly we don’t have medical services,” one of the stranded civilians said, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Insecurity along the Yei-Lasu road has prevented humanitarian agencies from accessing the area. There are more than 8,000 Congolese refugees and 2,000 Nuba refugees settled in Lasu Payam. Many of the Congolese had come in recent years due to violence in eastern Congo carried out by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

In August, UNCHR reported that a truck loaded with food grains destined for thousands of refugees in Lasu camp was looted by armed men.