Over 220,000 S. Sudan refugees arrived in Khartoum since 2013: UN
June 1, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – An estimated 226,950 South Sudanese refugees have fled to Sudan since December 2013, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said in a report attributed to its refugee agency UNHCR.
UNHCR further estimates that nearly 69,000 people have arrived to various states in Sudan from the world’s youngest nation since the beginning of this year until 22 May.
As such, the report says, UNHCR and partners are currently updating their response plan to cope with the newcomers as more arrivals are expected in the coming weeks.
Humanitarian organisations are reportedly continuing to provide humanitarian assistance and basic services for the South Sudanese refugees in Kour Omer camp, while the World Food Program plans to distribute shares of food material for this month, with an estimated 28,428 refugees at Kour Omer camp expected to get food aid.
Last month, OCHA reported that the number of South Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict in their country had risen to about 80,000 people since mid-December 2015.
The Sudanese government has earlier expressed concern over the situation in South Sudan after mutual accusations between the rival parties of violating the peace agreement signed in Addis Ababa and called on them to abide by the agreement.
“The crisis in South Sudan has significant implications for the region’s countries, especially Sudan since peace and security represent an integral issue and no state can be stable while its neighbours suffer from strife and lack of security”, the Sudanese foreign affairs ministry was quoted in an earlier statement on the matter.
The statement further stressed that Khartoum “is following with great concern the persistent reports of the South Sudanese rival parties violating the Addis Ababa agreement and the mutual accusations in this regard and the confrontations that took place in Jonglei, Upper Nile and Al- Wehda states during the past two days”.
Sudanese officials also encouraged leaders in neighbouring South Sudan to amicably resolve their differences through dialogue in order to end the suffering of its population.
South Sudan president Salva Kiir and the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar signed a peace agreement in August last year to end the conflict in the country. The accord, among others, called for the deployment of international forces to monitor the cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to reach those affected as well as cooperate with the UN and other humanitarian agencies currently operating in the conflict-hit nation.
(ST)