UN-OCHA

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says aid workers have been forced to temporarily suspend operations in Mayendit due to insecurity in the area.

Mayendit is one of the areas in the former Unity State where famine and a cholera outbreak have been declared.

In the latest biweekly report, OCHA documents incidents of harassment, looting and threats of humanitarian workers.

Following fighting on the 10th of this month around Mayendit, OCHA says local staff of an international non-governmental organization were detained by armed men in the area and released four days later.

It says the gunmen were non-state actors, or not allied to the government, but has not named the actors.

OCHA says humanitarian supplies were also reportedly looted by armed personnel in different locations in Mayendit County.

It says aid workers initially relocated from Mayendit town on the 26th of last month, disrupting vital health, hygiene, and nutrition services.

OCHA says negotiations are ongoing to ensure that credible assurances are received regarding the safety and security of aid workers and assets ahead of the return of humanitarians to the area.