Five people fainted Saturday during a food distribution for civilians sheltering at the UNMISS camp in Bentiu, Unity State.

The people, who received treatment at the base’s MSF hospital, fainted while waiting for hours in the sun to receive twenty days’ worth of food rations. 

There were also numerous small arguments and shoving incidents that UN police had to break up as people jostled for food.

There was no discernable queue Saturday and people entered and exited the distribution area through the same narrow gateway, causing traffic jams.

“We got here at 8 am but we don’t have food,” one woman told Radio Tamazuj in the afternoon.  “Some people came later but they got their food.”

Other residents complained that there weren’t enough staff distributing food and that the ground was too muddy to access the entrance.

The World Food Programme officer in charge at the Bentiu UNMISS base would not comment on the organization of Saturday’s distribution because he is not authorized to speak to the press.

Food distributions have taken place twice a month in Bentiu since the beginning of the civil war.

The Bentiu UNMISS camp has five different areas for displaced people.  Distribution for the fourth and biggest area began Saturday.

Residents in other areas received their food earlier this week.

There are between 30,000 and 40,000 displaced people living in the Bentiu UNMISS base.

Humanitarian actors met Saturday night to better organize future food distributions.  So far on Sunday food has been given to residents without incident.

Separately, two men who came into the UNMISS compound to buy goods on Friday were badly beaten in a fight. Though wearing civilian clothing, they were suspected of being loyal to one of the sides of the conflict. They have been taken for medical treatment. 

Photo: A woman pushes through the crowd after receiving her food rations in Bentiu UNMISS camp, 12 July 2014. Radio Tamazuj

For breaking news updates from Radio Tamazuj ‘like’ our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or subscribe to our RSS feed.