Two children “die of hunger” in Wau, mayor refutes Deng Dimo | April 4, 2017 | 3:53 pm
A woman cooks food in Bor recently. Two children died this morning in an internally displaced people’s camp in Wau town of conditions which a relative says are related to hunger.The twins passed away this morning at the compound of the Episcopal Church, where some IDPs are camping in Wau town. In her wailing, their mother said they had not received food for three days.Their relative, identified as Akello, said the twins died of hunger.“What I am saying is people run away from there to this place to be helped but now there is no help. Let hunger kill us like these children lying down,” Ms Akello said.“They have died of hunger. There is nothing because since people arrived here, people have not been given food, people have been provided with cards without food,” she told Eye Radio. The death comes after the IDPs were asked to report to Masana locality.“We are not going to Masana. We women have totally refused to go. Let us die here in the camp. If the government refused, let it refuse.”One of the internally displaced people in the area also said the children died of hunger.“This morning, it surprised us that two children died of hunger because these children came from the village, up to now they did not get food,” she said.“Their mother is having ration cards but they have not been given food. The government is saying let them not be given food unless people move away from here but now children have died of hunger and many are now suffering down here as you have seen,” she told Eye Radio during a visit to the camp.“This is hunger … So children have now died, two have died and are not yet buried and it is hunger that killed them and here some are suffering now. We don’t know how many will die later. So children are suffering in the camp,” she said. On Saturday, Wau town Mayor ordered the UN agencies helping displaced persons at the camp to suspend food distribution.Mel Alec said all the IDPs should relocate to Masana Biir, a move rejected by the IDPs. When contacted by Eye Radio about the death of the children, Mr Mel dismissed the claims that the children starved to death.“If a child has malaria, he will die. Anything can kill but it is not hunger. Up to now, I have not received any death report of children. I am still considering this as a rumor until I receive a report in the office,” Mr Mel said.“We did not receive official report of a child there. Maybe malaria, we have directed NGOs to offer any treatment,” he said. Mr Mel however confirmed that food is not being distributed to all the people in the compound.“There are some people in need of water. Water is going but things like food items, we have allocated them to only venerable people like disable and blind ones. These are the people who are in need of help but anybody strong who can move to residential areas should not be provided. They will be provided in Masana even tomorrow or next tomorrow,” he said. Mr Mel said the municipal council will start repatriating the IDPs to Masana Biir even if it would be against their will.The IDPs fled their homes in Wathlelo village in Rochroch Dong County last month after a clash between the local people and cattle keepers. -- To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/southsudankob View this message at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/southsudankob/topic-id/message-id For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14orYguJpDR-eO1Bz6WPVXLehuxj%2Bk%3DDxdJ7PuiW2w0C3jQ%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
