More than 25 South Sudanese families recently returned from El-Liri in Sudan’s South Kordofan State, and they’re urgently appealing to humanitarian aid organizations and the South Sudanese government for essential assistance.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday from the Panyikang area of Upper Nile State, some of the returnees expressed the challenges they faced in Sudan, prompting their decision to return to South Sudan.

One returnee, identified only as Nyajuma, highlighted the dire situation they face, citing a lack of basic necessities such as food, water, and medicine. This scarcity prompted their arduous four-day journey on foot back to South Sudan. “We had no access to water, food, and no means to sustain ourselves,” she lamented.

Now resettled in the Panyikang area, Nyajuma and others are urgently calling on organizations operating in the region to provide immediate aid. “We have children and elderly individuals who require urgent assistance.”

Another returnee who identified himself as Olithi, shared that since April of last year, not a single organization has been able to enter the El-Liri area, leading to a worsening humanitarian situation. He emphasized the challenges of accessing clean drinking water and the severe shortages of food and medicine, which compelled them to leave El-Liri. “If you fall ill with malaria, there is no medication available.”

Olithi disclosed that more South Sudanese families remain stranded in El-Liri, with some expected to arrive in the coming days. He expressed a sentiment of desperation, stating, “It’s preferable for us to return and face whatever fate awaits us in our own country.”

Simon Chanyor, the executive administrator for Panyikang Payam, confirmed the arrival of about 25 families in the area, stressing the urgent need for assistance.

“We are encountering challenges in providing them with basic necessities,” Chanyor remarked. “We appeal to aid organizations to intervene swiftly.”

The violence in Sudan has displaced more than 3 million people, including 2.2 million inside the country and more than 700,000 who have sought refuge in neighboring countries. More than 170,000 people have now crossed into South Sudan, which was already facing some of the highest levels of displacement and humanitarian need in the world.

The vast majority of new arrivals from Sudan into South Sudan are South Sudanese refugees returning to their homeland.