The UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs has described the situations in Wau and Awiel as the symbols of humanitarian devastation the country in currently facing.

Mr. Stephen O’Brien says Wau has been severely destroyed by conflict, while Awiel is experiencing extreme hunger situation.

He says if the violence does not stop now, the entire country is likely to experience the same fate of displacement and hunger, which he strongly noted, that are now wide spread across the country.

Mr. Stephen O’Brien ended a three day visit of the country yesterday.

He told the media that the situation in the country has gotten far worse this time of his visit to the country, than in his previous visit last year.

“The situations that I saw in Wau and Awiel are emblematic of the devastating fate that has befallen this country since I last visited. In July 2015, both of these locations were seen as beacons of hope and prospects for development,” he said, adding that civilians in each location have been attacked and forcibly displaced.

“Let’s be clear, people are not just fleeing their homes because they need food shelter, or medical care and school for their children, they are fleeing through fear for their lives,” he noted.

Undersecretary O’Brien said Wau and Awiel are just a tip of the ice bag.

Mr. O’Brien also expressed concerns about the increasing number of humanitarian workers being killed while saving the needy population, with others missing and unaccounted for.

He said so far 57 aid workers have been killed since the conflict broke out in 2013, 30 of them killed between 2015 and 2016 alone.

Mr. O’Brien urged President Slava Kiir to take immediate action on the matter.