Gbudue state citizens in need of humanitarian aid: official

September 26, 2016 (YAMBIO) – Thousand of the populations in Ezo county of South Sudan’s newly created Gbudue are in dire need of humanitarian assistance after returning home from bushes, an official said.

The commissioner of Ezo county, Arkangelo Bakinde said thousands of citizens have returned and resume their normal life, but still live in dire situation conditions without food, none food items and medicines.

The local markets, according to Bakinde, are operating on a daily basis, but that only few traders have commodities in their shops, yet they sell them very expensively to locals who cannot even afford.

“A bar of soap is being sold at 130 SSP and sacket of a salt is being sold at 90 SSP while prices of agricultural produce have also gone higher as local people can meet the demand to buy salt for the family,” he told Sudan Tribune in a phone interview.

Bakinde further disclosed that the hundreds of Congolese who fled the conflict in Ezo also have returned to the county together with Ezo residents with whom they share common values and ways of life.

“Most of Congolese residing along the border with South Sudan were getting support from South Sudan as living conditions were not good for them along the border,” said the Ezo county commissioner.

“All shops and lodges in Ezo town were looted during the conflict between the SPLA and the armed youth which claimed over 10 lives in and displaced thousands to the bushes and neighboring the Democratic Republic of Congo for safety,” he added.

(ST)