Some of Sudanese refugees complaining about shortage of relief food in Nothern Barh El Ghazal- Credit: Elsheikh Chol/Eye Radio

Over 7,000 newly arrived Sudanese refugees in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State have decried inadequate relief aid to the camp.

The refugees mainly women and children are being hosted at Wedwiel Refugees transit camp situated about 28 kilometers north of Aweil town.

It was established in April this year as a transit centre to receive Sudanese refugees and asylums seeker who are fleeing the Sudan conflict.

Muhamed Ahamed Osman is the camp community leader at Wed Will Refugees transit camp.

He said the ratio given to them cannot take a month given the number of persons per household.

According to Mohamod, they are being given 8 kilograms of dura, a kilogram of beans, two glasses of cooking oil and salt for a period of 30 days.

“I cannot ask you to serve me with none essential needs, but the essential ones you provide me with, like foods, the food that I’m seeing now is not the food that can satisfy a human, what I’m seeing is very small food ratio,” said Muhamed.

“When you give food of two Malwa or 8 KG of dura for the period of 30 days without anything, and a half or one kilo of beans, two glasses of cooking oil, and one glass of salt, so we saying to WFP you need to change your policy with us, you support in a good way otherwise these people they die they should not die.”

Meanwhile, some of the refugees who spoke to Eye Radio also expressed similar concerns saying the food ratio they are receiving is not enough.

Others decry poor sanitation including a shortage of water at the camp.

“The issue in the camp is one Malwa or 4KG of dura is for 15 days, even if you only have two children Malwa cannot last for 15 days,” said one of the refugees.

“We are already broke and we have no money, is not right we know as the mother, even those children they are orphans their father was killed in Jable Awalia.”

“When we arrived in a refugee camp here the food that they are giving to us is not enough everything is not enough, food is not enough, water is not enough also, and even the environment is not good, now we still remember our homes and the money we have lost, because here there is no compensation,” another refugee said.

“There are a lot of things that we are lacking, but when you are in somebody’s hand you can’t ask for everything, now even our shelter is not good we have six children we have one we just tied it on a pole and we are staying under it like that,” said another.

Responding to the concern, the Field Manager of the Commission for Refugee Affairs in Northern Bahr el Ghazal says they are working to transform the transit center into a camp.

Angelo Bol Chan adds that they are also working with aid agencies to address some of the challenges facing the refugees at the camp.

“Basically this camp was meant for receiving refugees as the transit camp that’s why there was no preparation from NGO to provide enough food here,” Bol said.

“After we start receiving people and now it’s become a resettlement camp the services will be full, we have talked to WFP and other NGOs they are going to increase this small ratio of food,” he said.

“Enough drugs will be provided because it’s become a resettlement camp and this means all the services will be increased.”