{"id":44672,"date":"2026-05-15T14:29:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=44672"},"modified":"2026-05-15T14:29:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:29:16","slug":"hunger-hit-car-refugees-in-tambura-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/15\/hunger-hit-car-refugees-in-tambura-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Hunger hit CAR refugees in Tambura County"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Gaaniko Jackson<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thousands of refugees fleeing conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are facing worsening humanitarian conditions in Source Yubu Payam of Tambura County, Western Equatoria State.<\/p>\n

Many families are reportedly surviving on mangoes due to severe shortages of food and assistance.<\/p>\n

Local leaders and refugees said the situation has become critical, as displaced families continue to struggle with hunger, lack of shelter, poor healthcare, and limited access to education.<\/p>\n

Speaking to No. 1 Citizens Daily newspaper community leader Gift Francis said the growing influx of refugees and returnees has overwhelmed the limited resources available in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current situation facing people who fled from the Central African Republic and Congo into South Sudan is becoming increasingly difficult, especially in terms of food, healthcare, shelter, and education,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Francis explained that many parents are unable to afford school fees for their children, while poverty and hunger continue to worsen every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is not easy for these families. At first, there was some support from organisations and individuals, but the situation is now becoming overwhelming,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

According to him, many refugee families lack proper shelter and are forced to move from place to place in search of survival.<\/p>\n

Food insecurity remains one of the biggest challenges, while humanitarian support remains limited despite the rising number of displaced people in camps and host communities.<\/p>\n

He further raised concern over the pressure on local health facilities, saying clinics and hospitals are running short of medicines and medical supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cMalaria cases are increasing, and maternity wards are struggling because of a lack of medical equipment and medicines for pregnant women and mothers,\u201d Francis said.<\/p>\n

He appealed for stronger coordination between humanitarian organisations, local authorities, and the government to address the growing crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese people are human beings who deserve protection, dignity, and humanitarian support,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n

Francis also called on aid agencies and partners to support refugees and returnees with farming tools, seeds, and land to help them become self-reliant.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of them fled their countries with nothing and are currently depending on limited support,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

Another refugee, Luiz Peter Piere, described the difficult conditions refugees are enduring in Tambura County, saying many families are surviving with little or no food assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are facing a lot of challenges, especially in terms of food and poverty,\u201d Luiz said. \u201cDuring this rainy season, many NGOs have not been able to provide enough food assistance. We are surviving only by the grace of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explained that most families depend on cassava and other locally available crops, but the food is not enough to sustain the growing refugee population.<\/p>\n

Luiz also expressed concern over shortages of medicines in public health facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of medicines, public hospitals do not have enough supplies. Even when medicines are provided, they are not enough to cover the entire population,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

He added that poverty has forced many children out of school because parents cannot afford school fees.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur children are not continuing with school because we do not have money to pay school fees,\u201d he lamented. \u201cWe are really in a dangerous situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luiz appealed to the government, humanitarian organisations, and well-wishers to urgently intervene with food aid, medical supplies, shelter assistance, and education support.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are appealing to well-wishers and the government to come and help us because we do not know what to do anymore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Tambura County Commissioner Mathew Mabenge also expressed concern over the deteriorating conditions facing refugees in Source Yubu Payam.<\/p>\n

He said refugees are suffering from hunger, poverty, lack of education, and limited access to agricultural land, claiming that insecurity along the border areas has prevented many families from cultivating crops.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am appealing to humanitarian partners, the state government, and the national government to support these vulnerable people so that they can live in dignity,\u201d Mabenge said.<\/p>\n

The commissioner revealed that since the refugees arrived last year, at least three children have reportedly died due to poor living conditions and lack of adequate healthcare support.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren and elderly people are facing very difficult situations and urgently need support,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

On December 30, 2025, at least 2,500 civilians from the Central African Republic reportedly fled into Source Yubu Payam in Tambura County after clashes between rebel groups and government forces erupted in the border town of Bambouti.<\/p>\n

The displaced civilians, mostly women and children, crossed into South Sudan seeking safety but continue to live without adequate food, clean water, shelter, and healthcare, according to local authorities and residents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Gaaniko Jackson Thousands of refugees fleeing conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are facing worsening humanitarian conditions in Source Yubu Payam of Tambura County, Western Equatoria State. Many families are reportedly surviving on mangoes due to severe shortages of food and[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":44673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79,114],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news","category-western-equatoria-state"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Camp-settlement-in-Yambio.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44672"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44674,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44672\/revisions\/44674"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}