Government soldiers deployed in Lainya area of Central Equatoria State say they are starving after consuming all the mangoes and papayas in the vicinity.

Their commander disclosed that the soldiers are living in deplorable conditions – without food and medication.

They are commando forces deployed to protect the area against incursion by the armed opposition, National Salvation Front.

Maj.-Gen. Chol Martin says the soldiers do not even have money to buy food, water or medicines.

He stated that the troops have been surviving on wild fruits and leaves.

“I found them living off leaves and fruits – Papayas and Mangoes – and they have finished all that was near them,” Maj.-Gen. Martin told Eye Radio.

In his statement on the state-run television, SSBC, Ge. Martin said every time the soldiers go further into the bushes to gather fruits, they often encounter NAS forces.

“When they go out to look for more papayas, they have to fight because the enemy is near,” he continued.

Maj.-Gen. Martin went on to say there has been also no logistical support to transport sick soldiers to nearby hospitals.

“If one is bitten by a snake, we cannot rush them to areas like Lainya or Juba. This is a very big shame on someone like me, who is commanding a strategic force like Commandos,” added.

Maj.-Gen. Martin asked the community of Lainya to support the soldiers in the area because they do not have the means to buy food for themselves.

South Sudanese soldiers have repeatedly complained of inability to meet their needs.

The SSPDF salary scale and allowance of the organized forces start from 1,500 South Sudanese Pounds.

But most of the arrears remain unpaid and soldiers are said to still experience continuous late payment of salaries and poor living conditions.

When contacted by Eye Radio, the acting spokesperson of the SSPDF claimed the commander of the forces in Lainya wasn’t raising the alarm over food shortages.

Brigadier General Santo Domic said:

“General Chol Martin, did not talk about the starvation of his forces, but he was sharing plan or a logistical plan for the food or the logistics to be prepositioned in his locality before the beginning of the rainy season, because as soon the rainy season starts, of course, the roads will become inaccessible. So, that’s what he has actually stated.”

In 2019, the U.S-based The Sentry report revealed that senior military leaders in South Sudan have enriched themselves during the five-year civil war, while soldiers suffered a lack of supplies and delayed payment of salaries.