More than 1,300 people have returned to Manyo County in Upper Nile State after they fled the ongoing fighting in Sudan, a humanitarian affairs official said.
The ongoing fighting in Sudan, which began on 15th April, has forced thousands of returnees and refugees to seek shelter in parts of South Sudan.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, Jalu Unguel, Chairperson of the Humanitarian Affairs Commission in Manyo County, said their situation was dire.
“The returnees have arrived in the county through four border crossing points,” he said. “Some of them were sheltered in schools and churches while some community members hosted others. They are in dire need of food supplies”.
Unguel urged the aid agencies to intervene and urgently provide humanitarian assistance to the returnees.
Meanwhile, Adwok Luigi, one of the returnees, told Radio Tamazuj that since their arrival in Wadakona, no aid has been provided to them.
“The situation is very bad. There is no food, no shelter, or medicine. Diseases are spreading in the area. When we go to the hospital, we cannot find medicine,” he said. “We call upon the humanitarian organizations to intervene and provide us with aid urgently.”
For his part, Yunus Adwok Ajawin, Acting commission of Manyo County, described the situation of the returnees as dire, saying that the state government has provided some food supplies and shelter assistance to the returnees, but was insufficient due to the limited resources of his country.
Ajawin called for humanitarian organizations to provide aid to the returnees.