Authorities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) have reiterated calls for the resumption of aid operations in Pibor town weeks after aid workers were evacuated for their safety following threats by disgruntled youth groups.
On October 5, about 78 aid workers were vacated from GPAA capital, Pibor town after being threatened by groups of youth who were demanding employment in positions meant for local youth in the aid organizations.
Since then, aid operations have been halted.
“Floodwaters are receding. The problem now is how we could rebuild our livelihoods because remember floods destroyed everything including our makeshift buildings,” One Pibor resident Zechariah Nyiboc, told Radio Tamazuj on Friday. “Again, no goods have been coming from Bor for some time now. So, our situation is worsening.”
Last week, the officials there expressed alarm over the dire health situation and delays in Covid-19 vaccination as humanitarian works remained stalled since October 5, 2021.
For his part, Lokale Amae Bullen, the GPAA chief administrator, decried the dire humanitarian situation, saying the local community is suffering the effects of the evacuation.
“People are really suffering. Well, flood victims who have been benefiting have had no food for about a month now. The malnourished children have not been getting their nutritional supplements either. Again, even the work on the roads is also stalled," he stressed.
Amae called on the humanitarian workers to resume operations in the area promising that they will provide security and protection for them.
“Both the government and youth have reached out to the NGOs. We want them to come. On the side of security we will protect them while for other things I think they should come and investigate,” he added.
Attempts to reach out to the NGO Forum were futile.
Since the start of the year, the humanitarian workers have received threats from youth in different parts of the country, leading to the suspension of humanitarian work and evacuation of aid workers.
Two weeks ago, the Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in South Sudan, Mathew Hollingworth strongly condemned the latest threat against the humanitarian organizations, and called for their protection, warning that a response operation to more than 100,000 vulnerable people in GPAA will be impacted.