Residents of Mukaya County in Yei River State lack clean drinking water, access to schools and health centers despite relative peace, a local activist said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj Wednesday, Bismark Soro said thousands of internally displaced persons in bushes share drinking water with domestic and wild animals while others depend on tree roots for medication and pupils stay home with no access to schools.
Soro said he toured Dimo One, Biri and Lorega villages in the county and witnessed the dire conditions of the poor and vulnerable groups, describing the humanitarian situation as “worrying”.
“I discovered there are a lot of challenges; people in villages are drinking dirty water from wells contaminated by animals and frogs. All boreholes are faulty and people are suffering from different kinds of diseases. Let the state government wake up and also inform NGOs dealing in boreholes to come to the area for assessment and improve on challenges facing people,” he said.
The activist further said no health facilities exist in the area, adding that the old facilities that were constructed before the crisis in 2013 are surrounded by tall bushes, without health workers and medicines.
Despite the high demand for education, there are three teachers without access to teaching and learning materials, he said.
In his response, however, the state minister for rural development said state government was aware of the challenges people are facing in Mukaya County.
He said his ministry, in collaboration with its partners, is scaling up emergency response plans to prioritize the local population’s needs.
“In terms of emergency response on water, we already have a plan to deploy partners to provide emergency response by repairing some of the broken boreholes and drill more. It is good people are returning and water issues will certainly be addressed,” said the minister.
One of the areas badly affected by South Sudan’s civil war, Yei has witnessed human rights violations and massive displacement since 2016.