Hundreds of civilians disembark from a boat in Akobo County upon arrival from Ethiopia. October 1, 2023. (Courtesy).

At least 42,000 people who fled hunger in neighboring Ethiopia are in dire need of humanitarian assistance in Akobo County of Jonglei State, the commissioner said.

Puok Nyang Tut reported that the vulnerable civilians have recently entered South Sudan after the suspension of food aid to refugees over corruption allegations in Ethiopia.

According to him, the displaced population, are South Sudanese returnees as well as Ethiopian and Sudanese refugees who fled the conflict that erupted in Sudan last April.

Nyang said the returnees and refugees are facing challenges in getting essential resources such as shelter, food, water, and medicine.

He revealed that the area is currently witnessing a severe shortage of food supplies, which has led to an increase in prices due to the large influx of returnees and refugees.

“Initially we have over 42,000 people in Akobo East alone, the little we have got completed by this lager number of people and then we suffered all together. We don’t have food now in Akobo, we don’t have anything,” Commissioner Nyang told Eye Radio via telephone from Akobo.

“These people are in Akobo they are living with the community. They don’t have shelter, they don’t food, medicine clean drinking water, so they are in Akobo. These are the people who came from Ethiopia and also from Sudan.”

“For the people of Sudan, they came in the time when the incident happened in Khartoum, these people from Ethiopia they start coming in May when they complained of not having food for months.”

Commissioner Nyang said that there is no intervention from both the national and state governments to help those in need of relief.

He is now calling on humanitarian agencies for immediate intervention and support to alleviate the suffering and provide necessary aid to the affected population.

“I have written a lot of letters to the humanitarian partners and then we also talk with state and national government about these returnees and up to now there’s no response from the government only few humanitarians responded.”

“I am still calling for humanitarian intervention in Akobo, even yesterday I have written another letter to WFP, UNHCR and the UNCOHA. If they can urgently come and intervene in this unfolding situation it will be very great.”

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