Elizabeth White, Oxfam’s Policy Lead in South Sudan, has just returned from Nyal in Panyijar County, southern Unity State, which has the worst nutrition situation in the country along with Leer County which was declared to be suffering from famine last week. People from Leer have been arriving in Nyal in search of safety and to reach humanitarian aid.
White said: "Today I saw people waiting to register for aid who were almost too weak to walk. They either haven't had enough food to eat or their bodies can't use it because of sickness caused by a lack of clean water and sanitation.
“More support is urgently needed if we are to help the growing number of people in desperate need and avoid an even bigger humanitarian crisis. With the rainy season coming soon, even more people will be isolated and out of reach from life-saving assistance.”
Oxfam is providing water and sanitation in Nyal to help people avoid diseases like cholera and diarrhoea, which can lead to malnutrition and prove fatal. It is also providing vouchers for canoes to bring the most vulnerable people sheltering from the conflict on remote islands to reach aid distributions. Some travel eight hours each way via canoe through the swamps.
