A group of about 700 road workers participating in a food-for-work programe in Aweil East County of Northern Bahr al Ghazal say they were never compensated as agreed.

The payam administrator at Malualbaai in Aweil East County has denied accusations from workers that he has mismanaged the food supplies, Radio Nhomlau FM reported.

The workers are using hand tools to build a ‘feeder road’ from Malaualbaai to Lieth, in exchange for food for their families. The effort is supported by the UN World Food Programme.

Peter Wol Duang, the payam administrator, says that WFP has not provided the food yet, so he cannot distribute the food to the workers.

“In December last year they called me to inform the workers to resume their works. They are working up to now and there is no food,” he said.

He says he has reported the complaints to the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission. He says he asked them to call their partner NGOs who support the project to make them aware of the issue. He says he has not heard back and now workers and their families are suffering.

One of the road workers said, “I am saying our food has been mismanaged by our payam administrator but now we need him to follow up our issue.”

He said he was worried about feeding his children and without the food from the road work he would need to start collecting wild plants.

File photo: A road in South Sudan (Radio Tamazuj)