The World Food Programme (WFP) has said it is committed to providing food and nutritional assistance to vulnerable people across South Sudan, despite a significant lack of resources and other operational challenges it’s grappling with.

On Monday Radio Tamazuj reported that about 30, 000 flood-affected vulnerable families in Nyirol County of Jonglei state last Sunday declined to receive relief food over cuts in rations by the WFP. They said they last received food aid last October and were surprised when last Sunday an allocation for a family was reduced to 7.5 from 15 Kilograms.

Reacting to the news article, WFP said they could not deliver food to the affected communities last month due to logistical challenges.

“Due to logistical constraints, WFP uses airdrops to reach communities in Nyirol County, Jonglei State, with food assistance,” WFP’s Communications Officer, Musa Mahadi Ateib said. “The communities did not receive their full expected food ration in December as WFP did not have sufficient aircraft to complete all the airdrop tasks.”

He added: “However, this has now been remedied with the arrival of a replacement aircraft and in January the affected communities will be prioritized, receiving the top-up food ration to cover the months of January and February.”

He said WFP and partners are responding to unprecedented needs for food assistance, including to communities affected by floods in more than a third of the country