16 March 2014 - Displaced people living at UNMISS and two other camps in Melut, Upper Nile State, desperately needed food and water, the top humanitarian official in South Sudan said today.

“There is not enough food, water or shelters,” Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer said at the UNMISS protection of civilians (PoC) site during a one-day visit to the town. “People are concerned for their future. We will be doing everything we can to step up the assistance.”

Over 1,200 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are currently living at the UNMISS PoC site in Melut, while about 16,000 are sheltering at two government-run camps in the town – Dethoma 1 and 2.

In addition to providing for their basic needs, Mr. Lanzer stressed the importance of reconciliation between different ethnic communities in South Sudan.

“There is one South Sudan,” he said “People need to come together and they all need to reach out to each other.”

UNMISS as a peacekeeping mission and humanitarian partners would do what they could to support the IDPs, Mr. Lanzer said.

Highlighting their grim situation, IDP Achol Bolt said he and the other displaced lacked essential items. “We have no clean water, no plastic sheets. (We have) … no clothes. Our children are suffering all the time.”