It rained heavily the night before but the sun now beamed down upon Gwlulukuk village. Sign of the downpour is barely visible as rainwater is quickly absorbed by the Sandy loam soil that endows the area.
28.05.2014 | By Tamama Norbert Mansfield.
Odor of freshly-dug rich soil welcomes us, as we pass through narrow paths, between small farm fields- heading to the home of Mr. Michael Muni Lado, the chief of Mirinda in South Sudan’s Terekeka County.
We find the Chief preparing land for cultivation “I’m going to plant groundnut here but I don’t have enough seeds” Mr. Muni says as we exchange greetings. Nearby, a man whistling an incomprehensible tune is busy cultivating, oblivious of our presence.
We ask to meet Elizabeth Nyarik one of the 3 wives of the Chief. After a long search, she appears, seemingly restless but longing to narrate her misery “I was on my way to the next village to look for sorghum seeds” Nyarik says as she leads us to her compound for an interview. We pass near a hand-dug well- primary source of water for the family. “Our goats and food were taken by the rebels in January. We now eat one meal in a day because food is difficult to get” Nyarik said in an aura of desperation and uncertainty, stopping short to sigh at her young daughter carrying a sibling- coming in to the compound-stopping near a granary, the eldest listens-expressionless.
The rebels did not kill anyone or burnt houses. No woman was raped. All they wanted was food and they took it, she says. “Right now we are surviving on wild leaves” said the 48 year- old mother of 5 children as she gestured towards an empty granary- epitome of food insecurity.
“I will make sorghum bread out of this” Nyarik says, as she looks at sorghum seed-heads drying on a make shift table with a fixed gaze- probably pondering about the next meal-struggling against the odds to feed her family.
“We eat bread with wild leaves once in a week. In other days of the week, we eat the boiled leaves without sorghum bread” she laments-sensing her own feelings and holding it from swamping her.
Though the planting season has started, I have planted groundnuts on a small field because i spend much of my time looking for food, she says.
Nyarik’s family live in a community of over 3,000 people whose livelihood was weakened after fleeing anti-government forces looted their village, following the mid-December violent crisis that erupted in Juba. Worsening the woes of an already food insecure community. Many left the village in search of food. “This community was not displaced but their livelihood was affected after they lost their food and livestock” the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) officials in Terekeka County said.
“Their problem was not highlighted during the initial assessment of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the County and that’s why they have not been receiving relief aid like the other IDPs” said Mr. John Modi, the County RRC coordinator.
“We are appealing to NPA, WFP and other aid agencies to support them with food, seeds and farm tools to enable them regain their livelihood” Mr. Modi said.
The Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) has been providing humanitarian aid to IDPs in Terekeka County since February. In partnership with World Food Programme (WFP), NPA distributes food to 8,600 IDPs on monthly basis.
A last look at the village paints a scene of a community that has resigned to its fate- caught up in a unavoidable situation they have little control over-unable to alter the course of events in their favor “All we need right now is food to give us energy to cultivate” says the executive Chief as he bids us farewell.