Thousands of civilians in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state face starvation after the Government blocked aid groups from using the Nile River to deliver relief food, aid agencies have said.
The Nile is a transportation lifeline in a country with few all-weather roads or airstrips, but it currently forms the frontline in Upper Nile between rebel forces on the west side and Government forces on the east. Nile transport was “temporarily put on hold” for security purposes because the river was used by rebels to attack army bases there, said South Sudanese military spokesman Col Philip Aguer yesterday.
Tapiwa Gomo, a UN Office spokeswoman, said 30,000 to 35,000 displaced civilians in the west bank village of Wau Shilluk face a “worrying” situation. South Sudan has been at war since December 2013 as forces loyal to President Salva Kiir battle rebels led by his former deputy, Riek Machar.