Jonglei State has condemned the looting of humanitarian aid from a truck that was transporting items to Pibor.
It was gathered that an unidentified group of people in Bor County looted an unspecified number of bags of sorghum from the truck.
State Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Gordon Koang Bar, said the truck developed mechanical problems a few kilometres east of Bor town before it was looted.
“The driver left the truck had returned to Bor town to seek help, and that is when looters descended on the truck and took everything,” he said.
At least 38 bags of sorghum were later recovered.
The authorities promised to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The United Nations has repeatedly called for an end to attacks on humanitarian workers and assets in South Sudan.
The chairperson of the Jonglei Civil Society Network, Bol Deng Bol also condemned the looting of humanitarian relief food as unacceptable and urged the government to provide security for humanitarian workers.
“We understand that the truck belonging to the World Food Programme (WFP) had been stranded for about 48 hours at the time of the incident due to a mechanical fault, whereas an unspecified number of other trucks reached the destination intact,” Bol said.
Bol noted that such an act would hinder humanitarian delivery to vulnerable communities across the area.
“This act is a blatant hindrance to the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the Greater Jonglei.” “It is therefore, unacceptable, and we condemn it and, as well, appeal for accountability,” said Bol.
“Relief agencies, instead, ought to be supported by all the stakeholders in the communities, including the state authorities, in their quest to reach the needy intact. “It’s an obligation we cannot afford to take for granted,” he added.
