Thirty-five year old Mary Samson and her seven children are among thousands of civilians who fled to Deim Zubeir, in Western South Sudan, after fighting broke out in nearby Raja in April last year.  They live in the compound of the Catholic Church in a makeshift shelter made from dried grass collected from the area.

“It took more than 20 days to reach Deim Zubeir after my husband was killed and all of our belongings looted,” Mary says quietly surrounded by her three smallest children. “There is no food to eat and we only depend on wild plant leaves and fruits we are able to gather from the bush. We barely have shelter to protect us from the rain and sun.”

The conflict between Government forces and the Opposition has affected thousands of people in Raja and its surrounding area forcing them to flee to Deim Zubeir and other places.    

Philip Batista, County Executive Director of Deim Zubeir, says that there has been little emergency relief aid for the 8,000 internally displaced people and the situation is deteriorating. Those seeking help are particularly susceptible to disease with children at greatest risk.

Following the April 2016 crisis, there has been little farming activity in Deim Zubeir and the situation is getting more fragile with not enough food for the host community let alone the displaced people, says Philip Batista. He is urging humanitarian agencies to provide emergency relief support.

Local authorities have been reported as saying that many people have returned to their homes in Raja because the security threat has subsided. However, peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan who patrol the area say there appears to be only a few people now living in Raja town.