Sudanese lawmakers visit S. Sudanese refugee camps in White Nile
March 29, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – A delegation from the National Assembly has visited the South Sudanese refugee camps in Al-Salam locality, White Nile State.
The delegation included MPs from the parliamentary sub-committees on defence and health and was headed by Al-Hadi Adam Hamid.
Hamid told reporters the visit comes within the framework of the parliament monitoring of the humanitarian and voluntary groups and to inspect the general conditions at the refugee camps.
He pointed to environmental degradation due to the expansion of the refugee camp.
For her part, the head of the parliamentary sub-committee on health, Imtithal al-Rayah, stressed the importance to provide the needs of refugees and the host communities.
She pointed to the need to implement the services projects in areas of health, education and drinking water, calling on the international aid groups to meet its commitments towards the refugees.
Earlier this month, the former governor of the White Nile State Abu Al-Gasim al-Amin Baraka said the state is hosting 160,000 South Sudanese refugees in the camps besides 60,000 in the various towns.
Over 2 million South Sudanese refugees have been displaced as a result of the conflict that hit the world’s youngest nation in mid-December 2013.
According to the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of 15 January 2018, the total South Sudanese refugee population in Sudan stood at 770,110.
Other sources estimate a total of 1.3 million South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, but this data requires verification.
South Sudanese refugees in Sudan have reportedly been distributed in four states including the White Nile, South Kordofan, East Darfur and Khartoum states, amid concerns the current numbers will rise.
In August 2016, Sudan officially declared that South Sudanese fleeing war in their country will be treated as refugees, which opens the door for the UN to provide them with aid and fund aid programs.
(ST)