Over 400 households return to Jonglei’s Duk county
March 29, 2016 (BOR) – At least 432 internally displaced families have started their journey back to their villages in South Sudan’s Jonglei state county, officials said.
The commissioner of Duk county, Michael Malual Wuor, mobilized resources to hire tracks to transport the people who voluntarily registered themselves, said people came from different areas where they sought protection during the crisis.
“The population of Duk that is returning home today, came from different directions, some came from Juba, some came from Nimule and some are from Mingkaman, and who were living in Bor town. This population is 432 housholds. They had decided to return because life is very difficult for them. They are going home this time of the year so that they are able to rebuild their county”, explained Wuor.
A lot of the people had no food items to start their living in their new places, support was needed from humanitarian agencies for both food and none food assistance.
“We are asking for humanitarian organization to provide resettlement assistance, specially, food and none food items and water so that these people settled without difficulties”, said Wuor.
Duk was one of the counties devastated by the crisis as all structures were burnt down.
“People don’t have houses to settle in, water [points], hospital and schools were destroyed. But still people are having courage to return, because if they don’t return, then all these destroyed structures cannot be rebuilt.Their presence will encourage us the government to think on how we can rebuilt these”, continued Malual.
A lot more had already returned homes, between February and March this year. In Poktap, there are 6,000 people who had already returned homes. 7,000 people in Duk Payuel, 8000 in Dongchak, and 12,000 in Duk Padiet and 6,000 in Pajut.
Ayuen Abot, one of the chief from Ageer Payam said his people had suffered a lot in IDP camps, saying they had decided to return homes to cultivate.
“People had suffered a lot in the IDP camps, there was no enough food to eat. Our children are almost starving, old age, blind and crippled people are about to die of hunger in the houses here in Bor. Now we are returning homes, but we have no shelters, people will begin to settle under trees. We want to go homes and start cultivating crops with our hands”, Abot said Tuesday.
(ST)