The Eastern Equatoria State government has said at least 646 inmates currently housed at the Torit Central Prison are starving as the state cannot feed them.
The revelation was made during an emergency meeting convened by the state government and attended by humanitarian partners on Tuesday to find ways of feeding the prisoners.
Oringa John Godfrey, the press secretary in the office of Governor Louis Lobong Lojore, said the prison used to receive food from the national government which stopped supplies without prior notice.
“It is very important to convene this meeting with humanitarian agencies on what they can do in terms of short and long-term plans. The short-term plan is how to supply food items to those in need in prisons because they are going hungry and I hear it is all over the country,” he said. “It is very hard for a government to work alone and that is why the emergency meeting was called so that we share how we can help. There are a lot of pledges that we have seen.”
According to Oringa, the state government is looking at long-term plans of giving the prisons seeds and tools so that prisoners can grow their food.
“There should also be vocational training to help them and many partners have pledged support,” he added.
The press secretary also said that the state is preparing to receive returnees from Sudan and that the state government and humanitarian partners will transport them to their places of origin when they arrive.
“Preparations have been put in place and the state government is trying to see if it can transport the returnees to their places of origin with the help of humanitarian agencies by delivering food items and non-food items so that they can reintegrate into their communities,” Oringa said.
Meanwhile, Okuma Augustine, the chairperson for the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) in Eastern Equatoria State, confirmed the dire food situation of the prisoners in Torit.
“We decided that there must be immediate intervention through the provision of food to these people in prison and the humanitarian agencies said they will check with their head offices on how to help. We have 646 inmates,” he said. “Also, we have long-term interventions so that they (prisoners) can be productive for themselves, the state, and the nation.”
“There is going to be an assessment about skilling them to help later when they are out of the prison,” Okuma added.