Commissioner Seeks Intervention On Hunger

This article was last updated on May 25, 2022

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Speaking to Gurtong, Commissioner Joseph Okello Wello said that people are still facing hunger as the World Food Program (WPF) received the reports earlier but said food is available and they lack means of transporting the food to the county due to shortage of flights.

“I myself went to WFP who told me that they have food but there is no means of transporting it because they have shortage of flights to transport food to Pochalla County,” the Commissioner said.

Okello said there is no means of transport from the state capital to the county except through flight adding that Pochalla County is a low land with fear of rebel factions lead by renegade David Yau Yau.

He said that as a commissioner, he has no access of creating something which can help the community without the government support as he is depending on the government status in the county.

“We do not bring in the things from outside except with the support from the state government,” he said.

He said that the community needs must be fulfilled so that the affected communities may not face difficulties of natural disasters.

“When there is a need, the needs must be fulfilled, my appeal is to the international agencies and the humanitarian partners and the government to stand hand in hand to solve the problem of the community,” he said.

In August, more than 4,000 people from Pochalla County, eastern Jonglei State had moved to the neighbouring Ethiopia in search of food following a hunger outbreak and insecurity in the area.

The commissioners said that most of the people left the country and have not registered as refugees in Ethiopia according to his consultation with Ethiopian authority in July.

He said that most of those who moved are widows and orphans.

“When I witnessed starting from July, it was about 4,000 and that was only from one Payam, Mitani Payam, but recently as I am in Bor I don’t know how far the number has increased,” Okello.