Over 500 internally displaced persons from Otogo Payam of Yei River County are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, officials say.
The IDPs who are currently stationed at the Episcopal Church of South Sudan church compound in Yei town said they fled the area on the 23rd of this month due to clashes between NAS rebels and government forces in the area.
Yangi Rose, an IDP said she lost her belongings to the armed fighters and calls on the government and humanitarian partners to support them with food and non-food items.
“Let them help because we have nothing. We don’t have food, blankets we don’t have medicines here. We are in pain and we are stressed because we experienced bad things while in the bush," she pleaded.
Peter Malish, another IDP, told Radio Tamazuj that he lost all his food harvest to the armed fighters and calls on both parties to respect the cessation of hostilities agreement so civilians can live in peace.
“These bad things happening to the civilians are not good. We are not enjoying the fruits of the said revitalized peace agreement. In Otogo Payam we have been displaced from time to time and we were accused in the village that we are the supporters and feeding rebels moreover we are mere farmers producing our food through cultivation,” he asserted.
Alphonse Guya, who is in charge of an IDP center in Yei town where the displaced people are seeking shelter said the IDPs lack food and non-food items.
“There is nothing given to these IDPs here. Moreover, they fled without anything at hand and they are suffering here and my appeal to the government and humanitarian agencies is that these people need emergency food assistance, water, medicines, and tents because there is no space for these people to sleep under,” he said.
For his part, Mabe Moses the secretary for Yei’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission is appealing to the public and the NGOs to donate food and non-food items to help the vulnerable IDPs.
“We are surprised to see another new displacement and I am calling on our host citizens and the NGOs that this issue has affected us. All of us need to put our hands to help these IDPs and for those NGOs who have done with assessment let them help the newly displaced persons,” Moses urged.
The displaced are mainly women and children.