UNHCR fears new refugee influx after recent fighting on Sudan’s border

February 7, 2012 (JUBA) – Renewed tension and clashes in the disputed
border areas of north and South Sudan has led to massive influx of people
seeking safety in the Southern state of Upper Nile and western
Ethiopia, an official from the United Nations refugee agency has said.

Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba from the UN High Commission for Refugees
(UNHCR) told a regular press briefing of senior officials that the
organization had registered 2,287 new arrivals in the Doro and Jammam
refugee sites in Upper Nile.

This she said brings to more than 80,000 the total number of
registered refugees in this region alone. However, majority of the
refugees entering South Sudan from the troubled Blue Nile region
reportedly said heavy bombardment and fear of more violence prompted
then to flee.

The 6 March briefing, held in Geneva Switzerland, was chaired by
Corinne Momal Vanian, the UN information service director in Geneva
and attended by spokespersons for the human rights council, the office
of the high commissioner for human rights, UNHCR, the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the
International Labour Organization (ILO).

In Western Ethiopia, Lejeune-Kaba said steady flow of new arrivals
mainly from Blue Nile state has prompted UNHCR to embark on
establishing a third camp to accommodate the growing Sudanese influx
into the country.

“The new camp was located in Bambasi and would have the capacity to
house up to 20,000 refugees when it was completed later this month,”
said the UNHCR official.

Meanwhile, the security situation reportedly remained precarious in
the other disputed border area between South Sudan’s Unity state and
Sudan’s Southern Kordofan, with bombings reported in Lake Jau and
Pariang County of South Sudan on February 26 and 29 respectively.

In addition, the UN refugee agency said it remained extremely
concerned about the fate and safety of people in Yida refugee
settlement; a camp that reportedly host about 16,000 Sudanese
refugees.

The newly independent South Sudan, UNHCR estimates indicate, currently
hosts more than 100,000 registered Sudanese refugees from South
Kordofan and Blue Nile, while more than 30,000 have reportedly
registered in Western Ethiopia.

Nearly 70% of those registered by the organization are said to be
below 18 years of age.

(ST)