Aid workers have been forced to temporarily suspend operations in Mayendit area in South Sudan’s Unity State due to insecurity, a UN agency said.

In February, South Sudan government and UN agencies said some 100,000 people were facing starvation in the two counties of Leer and Mayendit.

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cited in its weekly bulletin, incidents of threats, looting and harassment of aid workers.

The UN agency further said following fighting on 10 March around Mayendit, local staff of an international NGO were detained by gunmen in the area and released four days later.

It pointed out that the gunmen were not loyal to government.

OCHA noted that humanitarian supplies were looted by armed groups in different locations in Mayendit County.

The organization said aid workers initially relocated from Mayendit town on 26 February, disrupting vital health, hygiene, and nutrition services.

 Negotiations are ongoing to ensure that credible assurances are received regarding the safety and security of aid workers and assets ahead of the return of humanitarians to the area, according to OCHA.

Photo: A food distribution in Ganyiel, Unity State (VOA)