S. Sudan calls for humanitarian aid amid influx of returnees

July 20, 2023 (JUBA) – South Sudan has called for humanitarian assistance from donors as it struggles to cope with the influx of returnees and refugees from Sudan.

Speaking to reporters in Juba on Thursday, the Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management minister, Albino Akol said they are already faced with funding gaps.

He attributed this shortfall to the rising numbers of returnees coming from Sudan.

“There are funding gaps. The government has already put in some money to respond to the crisis as well as the international community has also put in some money. Despite that efforts, we still have some gaps in funding,” said Akol.

The minister said South Sudan has so far received 175,000 returnees who fled the conflict in Sudan, with the number of returnees anticipated reach 500,000 people.

“We are seeing that the conflict in Sudan is not stopping soon,” said the minister, adding “We are reviewing plans on how to respond to this bigger number. We are anticipating that 500,000 and more people will arrive up to the end of the year.”

South Sudan is currently hosting over 150,000 returnees and refugees, 90% of whom fled to Sudan during the bloody civil wars in South Sudan in 2013 and 2016.

According to Akol, the $5.3 million budget released by the cabinet in June for humanitarian response need at the border with Sudan was not sufficient enough.

“The government and partners put in money but we still have funding gaps because of the big number that are arriving every day, and they are congesting some entry points in Renk, Paloch and Malakal,” he further told reporters in Juba.

Last week, nearly 20,000 people were displaced by fighting inside Sudan, recent figures released by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) showed.

Overall, close to 3 million people have reportedly been internally displaced since the start of the conflict between the rival military factions in Sudan on 15 April.

Meanwhile, the Acting Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Peter Van der Auweraert said South Sudan will face a lot of difficulties in responding to the humanitarian crisis as a result of the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

“When people arrive South Sudan today, they are more vulnerable than they used to be, they are more likely to be undernourished, they are more likely to be sick and they are more likely to need more assistance than before,” he said.

The conflict between Sudan’s army (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 15 has killed more than 3,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. In May, SAF suspended its participation in the ceasefire talks mediated by Saudi and the U.S negotiators in protest of what it called RSF’s violation of a ceasefire deal.

Up to 25 million people in Sudan need humanitarian aid and protection, the UN says

(ST)