Their sad tales range from starvation, severe hunger to challenges of diseases.
Jaber Salah-Adin Abdallah, a Sudanese refugee who arrived from Sudan in July 2023, said he currently faces an eye problem that has made him partly blind.
“When I arrived here, I could see with my left eye, but now I no longer see with it and the pain has move to my right eye and if situation continue. I am afraid I will be completely blind and this is going to be tragic for me,” he explained.
Abdallah complained of inadequate food, shortage of healthcare services for aging people, chronic diseases and sanitation and hygiene issues in the camp.
Refugees, he said, have a meal per day with no hope for the next day’s meal.
Zainab Ali fled from Nyala and reached Wadwiel settlement after two weeks.
“Since Ramadan my son and his father were wounded by missile and cut my son’s right arm and hurt his leg,” she narrated.
“My son is brutally hurt and I cannot manage to treat him, now he is referred to Aweil Hospital and his legs are almost paralyzing because when he trekked for short distance his leg become emotionless,” she added while sobbing.
She appealed to humanitarian agencies and well-wishers to help in treating his son with special needs.
Mahmoud Mohammed, the Chairperson of Sudanese refugees in Wadwiel, narrated that they are facing multiple challenges including lack of proper shelter, schools and medical facilities.
“The UNHCR has built for us shelters as best they could, but for us it is not secures and once you leave your house – a thief can break in and steal little your belongings this has happened many times,” said Mohammed.
“We would like to thank local authorities and South Sudan Commission for refugees Affairs for providing us security which is the good part for some minor theft cases,” he added
He added that World Food Programme (WFP) has cut food ration from 70 percent to 50 percent leading to malnutrition among toddlers.
“WFP used to distribute to us food ratio to about 70% but now it the reduce it to 50% – and this 50% as you have seen had cause malnutrition to children because it is not adequate nor balance diet,” he lamented.
Mohammed said a pregnant mother died after she become anaemic due to inadequate food.
“We call on international community and all humanitarian organizations to support us with food ration, people here are malnourished and the reason everybody know we were forced out of our home by war,” he stated.
He appealed to international and national organizations including the government of South Sudan to save refugees from the life-threatening situation in Wadwiel refugee settlement.
“In term of security everything is fine but in term of service, I can tell you it’s only 50% now we are facing serious as I mentioned before with lack of food” he added “Secondly, we are having some people who have chronic diseases and now they are here but no treatment,”
Mohammed called for the introduction of intensive health care, adding that the existing MSF hospital is offering services to only children and pregnant mothers.
Lack of food and basic healthcare services cap life at the refugee settlement.
Majority of the refuges interviewed appealed to humanitarian organizations and government of South Sudan to build them schools, in addition to helping those seeking higher learning to get university scholarships.
