A coalition of churches in Yei River County has launched an emergency humanitarian appeal after recent fighting in the area.
The appeal came following a continuous outcry of the public in Yei over food shortages and an absence of humanitarian services like medicine and education. Recently, the Yei area has seen fighting between government and rebel forces. Since 2005, local officials say that Yei has not witnessed nor called for relief assistance.
In their joint appeal, the churches described had the humanitarian situation as worrying and deteriorating, and the closure of the Yei road in certain areas had a dramatic impact on the humanitarian assistance.
“What is urgently needed to help the people of Yei River state is food. The situation in Yei is very dire; all roads leading into Yei are closed. Thousands of people mostly women and children are seeking refuge in the churches and refugee camps. Many have spent days without food, clean water and medical assistance,” said Bishop Erkulano Ladu Tombe of the Catholic diocese of Yei.
Yei River state minister for agriculture Huda Michael Laila said that food should be mobilized as soon as possible to avert the outbreak of famine in the region.
Huda as admitted that hunger has been identified as one of the factor forcing civilians to flee the town.
“It’s for the first time the people of Yei are asking for humanitarian assistance,” Huda said. “The people are fleeing Yei town because of hunger and I can’t deny this fact and it’s the first reason that made many people to leave Yei today,”
Meanwhile the bishop of the Episcopal church of South Sudan Hillary Luate Adeba is calling on the government to restore peace and stability to enable the ordinary citizens’ return to their areas of settlement.
“We as church leaders are always advocating for peace, we don’t feel happy seeing our own people running away because there is no peace in this country. Let the warring parties acknowledge that the poor people are really suffering without food to eat, others displaced in the bushes with nothing to sleep on, no health care and children without education,” said Adeba.
He said if the situation continues further, hunger and famine will engulf Yei and all the people will starve to dead which is a bad news for a young country like South Sudan.
“I would Like to tell people outside the country to take away the notion and believe that Yei is a basket for South Sudan, this time the situation is different. We are in urgent need for food assistance from humanitarian partners like the UN to prevent the looming hunger and starvation,” he added.
For his part, Mohamed Tahir the associate field officer for UNHCR in Yei urged for stable security and safe environment for the operation of humanitarian partners.
“Our major worry is on protection and security for humanitarian workers. One example is that our food track meant for Refugees in Lasu Payam was recently looted and this is hindering the work of humanitarian workers across the country,” Tahir said.
The Relief Champaign was organized by the catholic diocese of Yei, Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Evangelical Presbyterian church of South Sudan and other sisterly churches in Yei town.