POKTAP - Duk County has become the epicenter of a human catastrophe.
A volatile mix of armed conflict, massive displacement, and a cholera outbreak has left thousands suffering and counting immense losses.
Assessment reports on the situation in Jonglei State illustrate that 17,000 people have been displaced by conflict within the Poktap area alone, having fled from within Duk and neighboring Ayod, Uror, and Nyirol counties. Most are women and children.
For mother of six, Martha Nyauduola Reath, the crisis is real. It is a daily fight for survival. After fleeing her home in Pajut, she arrived in Poktap only to face new challenges.
"The fighting took away family members. My cattle, food, and clothes were stolen," Martha recounts. "The only option was to save my life and my remaining family. We fled into the bush and eventually found our way here."
Though welcomed by the local community, Martha’s living conditions are dire. She shares an average-sized hut with five other women and their children. Overcrowding is only the beginning of their hardship.
"We wouldn’t care about the small space if we had enough food," she explained. "We are surviving on one meal a day while mosquitoes feast on us. With cholera spreading, we still lack adequate water and sanitation."
Martha and others rely on fish from the canal and local wild fruit to survive. Their children have no school to attend, and healthcare is out of reach.
Martha shared her experience with peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, who also spent the night out in the open in Poktap, braving the same conditions as the displaced population. The peacekeepers were there to assess how recent fighting has affected the community.
Witnessing the crisis firsthand was UNMISS’ Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator, Anita Kiki Gbeho, and Albino Akol Atak Mayom, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, who joined the patrol to the area.
They met women who lost their husbands or children during the violence. In one heartbreaking case, a woman holding her newborn baby revealed that her child will never know its father as he was killed in the fighting. It is a stark reminder that guns destroy and that differences must be settled through dialogue.
"Our peacekeeping mission will find ways to support the healing process for victims of conflict," stated Ms. Gbeho. "Despite difficult operating conditions and limited resources, the international community will continue to support the most affected populations."
There is still hope for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people in northern Jonglei, with Minister Albino Akol Atak Mayom announcing the lifting of restrictions on aid delivery and that humanitarian agencies will be guaranteed unimpeded access.
"It is time to ensure assistance reaches those most in need," he said.
The Head of UNMISS’ Field Office in Bor, Geetha Pious, welcomed the decision but advocated for further improvements to processes that enable peacekeepers to conduct patrols across the State, including to conflict-affected areas, so they can carry out their mandate to protect civilians.
"Unlimited access is vital. It allows us to create a safe and conducive environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and to promote stability and peace.”
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By Angellah Mandoreba
