Panyikang County appeals for humanitarian aid
Panyikang County commissioner, Mustafa Lual Gai, is appealing to the national government to provide humanitarian aid to the people affected by the recent conflict in the area.
An estimated 7,000 people have been affected by the recent fight between the SPLM-IO Kitgwang factions that rocked parts of Upper Bile State, Lual said.
The displaced people are sheltering in Wochi, Pakang, and Duleib fel payams. He dispelled rumours that the conflict had taken a tribal dimension.
“The current conflict in the Panyikang County is not between the Nuer and the Shilluk tribes at all, as some intellectuals promote it in social media.”
“But rather a conflict between the factions of KitGwang and Agwelek.” “It has absolutely nothing to do with the mentioned tribes,” Lual said.
“There are seven thousand displaced people now, and they are from the Nuer and Shilluk tribes. They are living peacefully, but they are very tired and in dire need of all kinds of possible assistance from all sides.”
Last week, a state government delegation led by the Director General for the Ministry of Health, Dr. Isaac Kong Okel, visited the county to inspect the conditions of the displaced people.
Dr. Okel said the environment in which the displaced people live is tragic and needs urgent solutions to confront seasonal diseases.
“We found the displaced [persons] in urgent need of tents to live in. They are suffering due to the scarcity of food,” he said.
In an emergency response, the authorities have set up a temporary clinic to provide some basic health care.
