Lawmaker raises alarm over looming food insecurity in Mayom County
A member of the National Legislative Assembly tabled a motion in Parliament to compel the government to respond to looming food insecurity in Unity State’s Mayom County.
Mayom is one of the seven counties in Unity State that has been grappling with relentless floods that have ravaged infrastructure and depleted food supplies.
In his motion, the area member of parliament, Stephen Ley emphasised the severity of the situation, highlighting the displacement of people and their desperate search for sustenance in the face of adversity.
“Mayom Town is now depopulated, with people scattered into the bushes, foraging for wild fruits and fishing in depleted waters for survival,” Ley remarked.
He further revealed that there was additional strain caused by recent inter-communal conflicts which have displaced communities and disrupted livelihoods.
According to Ley, communities escaped to Abyei in 2022, but owing to intercommunal fighting on February 27, 2024, between displaced and host communities of Abyei, they were again displaced and returned to Mayom.
“The people are facing a record of death each day, the population is getting displaced to Bul. “This is the same part of the county where the flooding started in 2020 and now still holds water for the people to collect lilies and fish for their families,” he said.
He stressed the need for immediate and urgent action to alleviate the suffering and prevent further loss of life in Mayom County.
“The situation is serious and requires emergency response with food and other basic supplies to prevent hunger in the short term and help communities build resilience against future emergencies,” he stated.
The consequences of these crises are dire, with the population facing a daily struggle for survival.
Ley painted a grim picture of escalating death tolls and increasing displacement, reminiscent of the devastating famine of 1988-89.
He urged members of the TNLA to summon the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Albino Akol to mobilise urgent intervention measures in collaboration with humanitarian partners.
