A convoy of South Sudanese returning to Manyo from war-torn Sudan's White Nile State|Photo|Courtesy

Over one thousand South Sudanese families that returned a month ago to Upper Nile’s Manyo County from Sudan say they are starving.

They were from refugee camps in Sudan’s White Nile State before leaders in Upper Nile voluntarily repatriated them to Manyo County in May this year.

This came after they complained of being blockaded in displaced persons’ camps with insufficient humanitarian aid following intense fighting between warring factions in Sudan’s While Nile State.

The returnees have since been in Wadakona, sheltering at Pio Youkwan Secondary School.

Speaking to Eye Radio, the returnees said they have been living under difficult conditions without basic services such as food, water and sleeping sheets.

Speaking to Eye Radio from Wadakona, some of the returnees narrated their situation as they call on government and humanitarian actors to come to the aid.

One of the returnees Joseph Hakim said: “We are currently in dire need and the situation is very miserable. We do not have tarpaulins or food supplies, and water is another crisis. Currently, our situation is very bad.

Another returnee Bronica Simon said they are being washed in the rain as some of them are living in the open with tents and sheets to cover themselves.

“We arrived here on the fifth of last May. Our conditions have become very bad. We have nothing to eat, the rain is falling heavily, and we do not have tents.

“When the rain falls, it spoils everything we have. Currently, we do not have a cover to protect ourselves  from the cold and our children have become malnourished due to lack of food.

Meanwhile, Sabino Chol Adowk  said : We have not received any support and we rely on ourselves, our conditions are bad. We have had serious cases of illnesses and the medicine available in the area is insufficient.”

Reacting to the situation, Ibrahim Ajageng Ajalong who a representative of the Collo Chiefdom in Equatoria region appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance to the returnees.

” The possible solution currently is for humanitarian organizations to intervene, because these conditions are very difficult and critical.

“As you listened to what they said, these returnees lack the simplest ABCs of life. Let the government take this situation into consideration and provide the necessities to save these people.