About 30, 000 vulnerable families in Nyirol County of Jonglei state on Sunday declined to receive relief food over cuts in rations by the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
The beneficiaries are victims of the floods that hit Jonglei State since last year.
Several of the beneficiaries told Radio Tamazuj that they were protesting because a 50 percent cut in food rations will not cover their needs as they have gone hungry for months.
“The last time we received food aid was in October. So we were happy yesterday when food was airdropped in Langkien town,” Angelina Ayian, one of the protestors said, “ To our surprise, this Sunday morning, an allocation for a family has been reduced to 7.5 Kgs from 15 Kgs.”
Another relief beneficiary, Nyidel Ruai, said she protested the cuts because the new ration is insufficient as they only rely on aid due to the floods.
“No one has been cultivating because of the floods. This means the food cut will only increase our suffering. So, I am appealing for the reduction to be reconsidered,” she said.
For his part, Nyirol County Commissioner James Bol Makuey said food aid was airdropped on Saturday but that the beneficiaries rejected it over insufficiency. He said he will engage WFP to address the concerns of the 31, 000 households.
Efforts to reach the WFP for comment were futile.