By No. 1 Citizen
National government has launched airdrop of food to Nasir and Ulang counties in Upper Nile State.
Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, launched the program on Saturday, in collaboration with Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC).
Humanitarian Minister Albino Akol Atak, together with RRC Chairperson Stephan Kueth, flagged off the first plane carrying assorted food items.
This intervention comes after a period of intense fighting between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army militia, which claimed hundreds of lives in the affected counties.
In his remarks after seeing off the plane at Juba International Airport, Minister Akol stated that the humanitarian effort is a direct result of President Kiir’s directives to intensify assistance for vulnerable populations in Nasir, Ulang, and other conflict-affected areas across the country.
He announced that his ministry has made available 600 metric tons of food.
“On behalf of His Excellency the President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic, I am hereby announcing the launch of this humanitarian coordinated intervention through air dropping approximately 600 metric tons of food assistance to the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities severely impacted and displaced by the recent violence in Nasir,” he declared.
Minister Akol further clarified that this assistance is a generous donation from President Kiir to the affected people in the area, facilitated by Vice President Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, who chairs the economic cluster.
“With this operation, the government has started its contribution and assistance to all affected people in the Republic of South Sudan. Today (Saturday) we are starting with the most vulnerable people as a result of the recent incident. But later on, we are also going to other parts within Greater Upper Nile, Greater Bahr el Ghazal, and Equatoria, wherever we have affected people as a result of conflict, incident, or even climate change,” he affirmed.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the RRC, Stephen Kueth, confirmed that distribution has already begun in Nasir. He urged those who had been in hiding to return to the towns to receive the much-needed food.
“This food is specifically for those civilians who were caught, you know, in the crisis that has happened in Nasir and Ulang. So, we encourage you to come home, come to Nasir, come back to the town, go back to Ulang. This food is for you,” Kueth appealed.
“You have to come home, come back to Nasir, receive your food, take it wherever you want to go and eat it. So, this is the message that we want to give to you. For those who will not reach this first round of food, we urge you to start coming back to Nasir and Ulang; the food will continue to arrive,” he added.