Imotong State Governor has blamed UN Mission in South Sudan in Torit for not responding to victims of wild fire in Lowoi Payam of Torit West County.
The fire that left a section of Lowoi community homeless and property destroyed, is alleged to have been caused by UNMISS patrol team on 28th January this year, Emmanuel Radio reports.
Talking to the media on Tuesday, Governor Tobiolo Alberio Oromo says investigation report indicates that the wild fire was caused by UNMISS patrol team.
“There was a patrol team of UNMISS that went to Lowoi they stopped in the area where there was a bee hive about 2.5 meters away from the road where the convoy stopped. There according to an eye witness the bees started attacking them and two soldiers fell down and the rest of the team tried to rescue them. As such they set fire to scare the bees causing a wild fire outbreak”.
UNMISS has failed to support victims of the fire and they continue to suffer since their property was destroyed, Alberio adds.
“The fire destroyed the whole area including 298 gardens, 17 herds of goat were burnt and seven houses and a woman who is receiving medical treatment in Lowoi primary care health center. After receiving these from the committee, I called UNMISS acting state coordinator on the 21st of February to brief him on the findings up to now there is no proper response and the community that has been affected since the outbreak of the fire, no any help has been given to them”.
But UNMISS Head of Field Office, Mary Cummins denied the allegations.
She asks the Governor to share the facts with them to look into the issue.