Local officials reported that 14 out of 21 primary schools in the county had been burnt down - Credit: NRC

The armed conflict witnessed recently in Lekuangole and Gumuruk counties of the Pibor Administrative Areas, left tens of thousands of displaced people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Gavin Kelleher, a humanitarian analyst with the Norwegian Refugee Council in the country says there is a widespread displacement of tens of thousands of individuals, many of these moving into Pibor town.

Kelleher says those returning to Gumuruk town and elsewhere in Gumruk County no longer have access to clean drinking water and are drinking directly from the river, as boreholes have been destroyed.

The humanitarian analyst who spoke to Eye Radio Wednesday [January 18, 2023] in Juba has just returned to Juba from Lekuangole and Gumuruk in the Pibor Administrative Areas on Tuesday [January 17, 2023].

He says the returnees urgently need food distributions, alongside access to clean drinking water and healthcare.

“The main humanitarian impacts are being felt across Lekuangole and Gumuruk counties, with a widespread displacement of tens of thousands of individuals, and many of these moving into Pibor Town,” said Kelleher, a humanitarian analyst.

“On Thursday last week [12th January 2023], the Norwegian Refugee Council participated in one of the first joint visit to Gumuruk Town since the town was taken over by armed forces, and the scale of devastation was very significant,

“Those who have started returning to the town no longer have access to clean drinking water and are drinking directly from the river, as boreholes have been destroyed,

“Medical care is also no longer available in Gumuruk Town, following the looting and damage to the primary healthcare facility,

“Arson attacks against at least five humanitarian facilities mean that little to no humanitarian support has been made available so far, and returnees urgently need food distributions, alongside access to clean drinking water and healthcare.”

Kelleher revealed that greater Jonglei is also facing what he calls a parallel displacement crisis due to a series of violent cattle raids and attacks.

“In Jonglei, a parallel displacement crisis is now happening across Uror, Nyirol, and Akobo counties, as a series of violent cattle raids and attacks has displaced thousands more”, he said.

“We are working with partners and the RRC to get a better understanding of the scale of displacement, but unfortunately, humanitarian needs across conflict-affected areas of both Jonglei and Pibor outstrip the number of resources available to humanitarians to respond now.”

Kelleher has called for an end to the violence, the protection of civilians, and respect for the rights of displaced people across South Sudan.