By Baraka John
For three long months, families who fled violence in Nadiangere Payam, Yambio County, have been clinging to survival in Ringasi, Nzara County, with no food aid, no shelter, and no relief in sight.
Around 360 households, mothers, fathers, children, and the elderly have been living in makeshift conditions since May 19, when they arrived in Ringasi after deadly clashes between SSPDF and SPLA-IO forces forced them from their homes.
“We came here with nothing,” said Morris Gaaniko, his voice heavy with exhaustion. “We don’t have food, we don’t have shelter, not even blankets or mats. Every day, we go to people’s farms to dig or weed just to earn a little something to feed our children.”
For many, even that is not possible.
Mary Narungo, a widow and mother of six, says her age prevents her from working. Her husband was killed during the fighting in Nadiangere before she fled with her children. Now, she struggles to watch them go hungry.
“I hardly feed my children,” she said quietly. “Sometimes they sleep without eating. I am appealing for help any help at all.”
Local authorities acknowledge the hardship. Ringasi Payam Administrator, Alex Kasa Francis, said the influx of displaced families has stretched the community to breaking point.
“Since May 19, many people have come here with nothing. They depend on casual labor to survive. Even at the health center, medicine is not enough because the numbers are overwhelming,” he explained.
The Primary Health Care Center in Ringasi, the only facility serving the camp, is already under strain and lacks adequate drugs to treat the sick.
As days turn into weeks, and weeks into months, despair is deepening. The displaced families are pleading with humanitarian agencies and government authorities to intervene urgently — with food, medical supplies, temporary shelters, blankets, and other basic necessities — before their fragile hope disappears altogether.