The high price of food in Abyei coupled with a shortage of sorghum is forcing people to look elsewhere for sustenance. Some people have begun eating wild vegetables like Akier, Adrak and Akirpiou.
Elizabeth Nyanak, a twenty-six year old woman, said that she cooked Akiar as a breakfast for her children because she was not receiving any food rations and she did not want her children to go hungry.
But doctors and nutritionists are warning people who eat wild vegetables that they could be risking their health. Dr. Mawien Michar from Agok hospital said some green vegetables and trees were harmful and poisonous and it was risky to eat things without knowing what they were.
Nyanluak Tor Biong, a nutrition director in Agok hospital, said some greens could be good for the body like “Korofo” – the leaves of soya beans that contain vitamin A.
In another reprot from Abyei, the majority of the people who were displaced by fighting in Dier, Mabil Anyiel and Man Ten-ten a month ago have returned to their homes.
The commissioner of Alal county Kelek Kon Lual said the security situation has normalized. He said people in the three areas were facing a shortage of food and shelter. The acting director of relief and rehabilitation, Dhieu Bul says they will visit the villages to assess their condition.
Reporting by Abyei Today
Radio Tamazuj Photo: A man in Dablual, southern Unity state holds leaves used as food.