Displaced persons in MalaKal, Upper Nile erecting USAID-provided shelter/ Photo courtesy USAID

The United States Agency for International Development says it is assisting internally displaced persons who fled violence in Tonga and Panyikang areas in Upper Nile with food and non-food items.

In a post on its official social media page Wednesday, USAID says that the recent fighting between armed groups in Tonga and Panyikang County in Upper Nile has displaced tens of thousands of civilians from the areas.

“We’re assisting IDPs with shelter, food, medicine & water, sanitation & hygiene,” the statement read.

According to USAID, with about 50,000 internally displaced persons in the PoC site there, overcrowding exacerbates disease outbreak risks.

The agency said its team visited Malakal to monitor humanitarian assistance in and around the protection site in the area.

Its statement comes a day after the U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan said he was in Malakal town last Thursday, where he met with residents, USAID implementing partners, and UNMISS personnel.

Ambassador Adler also visited medical facilities and a food warehouse supported by U.S. assistance.

The Ambassador also visited sites where victims of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence receive assistance and are learning income-generating skills.

During his visit, Adler discussed efforts to provide aid to those displaced by severe subnational violence in Upper Nile and the sustained multi-year flooding.

In a statement sent to Eye Radio newsroom, the U.S diplomat also called on the government of South Sudan to improve the security conditions in Upper Nile state.

The restive state has experienced a series of violence, particularly in Malakal, Panykang, and Fashoda Counties allegedly perpetrated by militias believed to be loyal to General Simon Gatwech.