More than 50,000 people who returned to Lainya County from refugee camps in Uganda and internally displaced persons are now facing shortages of food and other basic services in Lainya area, according to a local official.

The Head of Yei’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, Peter Butuli told Radio Tamazuj that the returnees and the internally displaced persons who are currently living in Lainya County need food and medical assistance.

Butuli appealed to the government and humanitarian partners to rescue the situation. “In Lainya County, we have a total of 50,213 people who have returned to settled in Kenyi, Bereka and Limbe Payams,” he said.

“These people returned from Uganda and the bushes near Lainya. These people are very desperate because they completely have nothing to eat. Our appealed to the humanitarian partners is that these people need to be given food items and non-food items to start their livelihood,” he added.

For his part, the Commissioner of Lainya County Erasto Taban confirmed that over 50,000 people are currently facing shortages of food and other services in the area.

He pointed out that many people have returned to their villages after fleeing fighting last year. He claimed that the security situation in his county was stable.