S. Sudan calls for coordinated efforts on Sudanese refugees
July 24, 2023 (JUBA) – South Sudan on Monday appealed for more funds and coordinated efforts to support refugees fleeing conflict in neighboring Sudan.
The Humanitarian and Disaster Management minister, Albino Akol Atak specifically called on local leaders and state authorities to work with humanitarian organizations in the acquisition and provision of land for settlement and agriculture.
“At the level of the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, we are talking to state authorities and local communities to provide land for settlement and planting. They need to support themselves. This means they will have to acquire land for cultivation and other economic activities,” he told MPs.
Akol told parliament that the crisis in Sudan has led to an overwhelming influx of South Sudanese returnees seeking safety in their homeland. The conflict in Sudan has created a humanitarian situation that needs coordinated efforts and funds.
The minister, however, commended the work of the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), among other partners.
“Through the support of these organizations, especially UNHCR, IOM, and UNOCHA, we have done a lot and continue to coordinate with them. We are receiving and moving people who have crossed the border into the country from all entry points to their states where they were assisted to go into their communities”, he explained.
Separately, a report released by UNOCHA explained that humanitarian efforts are underway to assist the vulnerable populations, but more resources and support are urgently needed.
“The situation demands immediate action and collaboration to provide life-saving aid, including food, clean water, sanitation, and medical care. Ensuring the safety, education, and well-being of those displaced requires collective compassion and solidarity from the global community. It is a race against time to offer hope and relief to those facing adversity in their search for safety and stability”, partly reads the report.
It revealed that the ministry through coordination with humanitarian has registered 183,854 individuals from 42,103 households who have arrived in the country. These numbers are expected to rise. Among the arrivals, he explained, 91 percent are South Sudanese returnees, 7 percent are Sudanese, and 2 percent are from other nationalities.
The journey, the report noted, is difficult with limited means of travel, and onward transport assistance is critical, but funding and security challenges hinder progress. Recent rapid assessments by partners indicated that returnees are becoming increasingly vulnerable as they move to areas of return, with no access to cash and productive assets upon arrival. Most were from an urban and peri-urban environment, with limited capacity for rural livelihoods. Moreover, they arrived too late to engage in the 2023 cultivation cycle.
Upon arrival, returnees face severe challenges, according to the new report.
Preliminary data from June 2023 revealed that 83 percent of returnee households experience moderate to severe food insecurity, and 81 percent are economically vulnerable. In Unity State, returnees arrive with physical injuries and report incidents of looting and harassment by armed groups during their journey. The situation is dire, and the youngest victims, the children, bear the brunt.
In collaboration with South Sudan’s Relief and Rehabilitation Committee (RRC), a relief wing of the government, partners continue to facilitate onward transportation assistance to vulnerable returnees, refugees, and third-country nationals arriving from Sudan. A total of 110,173 individuals have been moved, including 86,696 individuals who have been assisted by the RRC and humanitarian partners and 22,937 individuals who have moved through self-organised means.
Fighting between Sudan’s army (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (SAF) has reportedly has killed over 3,000 civilians and displaced nearly 3 million since April 15, amid reports that 25 million people need humanitarian aid and protection.
(ST)