29 January 2015 - A joint UNMISS-humanitarian team today visited Mayom County in Unity State to assess security and humanitarian needs of more than 50,000 families displaced by floods in the area.

Thousands of people were left homeless and in urgent need of assistance when heavy rains caused the Nam River to burst its banks, bringing on floods.

George Tang Diu, the Paramount Chief of Buoth Payam where the communities were most affected, described the situation as a “disaster”.

He requested the government and non-governmental organizations to help the community with food assistance, fishing equipment and drugs for people and their livestock.

“In Wathok (village) … the floods displaced children and women … (and) there is no grazing land for our cattle (and) no food,” he said. “We are suffering in this village. We were displaced by war and the floods have displaced us too.”

Mary Mer Gatluak, a displaced woman in Bouth Payam, said children were eating leaves from trees and urged humanitarian agencies to help them.

“We are suffering from hunger…” she said. “If the organizations are willing to help, they can bring food, fishing equipment and mosquitos nets because all our properties were burned during the fighting.”