More than 14,000 returnees who have settled in the five Payams of Morobo County in Central Equatoria State have received an assortment of food aid this week.

Earlier, the county officials repeatedly appealed for humanitarian assistance to the thousands of returnees trying to rebuild their lives. 

Most of the returnees who fled to neighboring Uganda and DR Congo started returning to re-settle in their villages after the formation of the unity government last year.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj from Kimba Payam on Saturday, Sunday John a returnee from Uganda’s Rhino camp who received her food items said the food has put smiles on the faces of her family members.

“We received sorghum, beans, liters of cooking oil, and salt and this has greatly helped to get food for our families. We are happy after suffering for long without food after returning from the camp without anything to start life with. With this assistance, we want to thank the UN-WFP for listening to our cries by providing us food relief aid,” Sunday said.

Christopher Mambu another returnee who returned from the DRC two months ago and settled in Wudabi Payam also expressed happiness for the food assistance.

“The assistance is good because I got wheat, lentils, cooking oil, and salt. Now my children are happy and smiling and this is a good thing for us who just returned from Congo. We still appeal to WFP to supply another ratio so that we can re-start our livelihoods and get settled. We also want the people distributing the food items to continue working transparently,” he said.

Likambu Francis, the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission coordinator for Morobo County confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that the food assistance targeted vulnerable returnees and IDPs in Panyume, Lujule, Kimba, Gulumbi, and Kendila Payams of Morobo County. 

He said, "The general food distribution is targeting all the five Payams of Morobo County and the food items were donated by WFP-South Sudan and implemented by ACROSS which is a partner to WFP and the food distribution targeted mostly the vulnerable returnees and IDPs and it targeted 14,600 beneficiaries in all the five Payams of Morobo county."

Likambu said the food items will help to restore hope but urges humanitarian organizations to also provide shelter, rehabilitate boreholes and renovate schools and health facilities for the growing population returning to re-settle in Morobo County.

Morobo County is one of the counties in Central Equatoria State badly affected by the 2016 political crisis.