DRA chief expresses concern over potential flow of refugees to Darfur from S. Sudan

January 2, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The head of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) al-Tijani Sissi said he is concerned over a possible influx of refugees from South Sudan in the wake of the ongoing civil strife that have hit multiple states there.

Al-Sissi, who is president of the Darfur Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) that signed a peace deal with the government in 2011, said in remarks on the sidelines of a conference of the Islamic Movement in El Fasher that the warring parties in South Sudan must renounce war and engage in negotiations to end the conflict.

He warned that neither the restive region of Darfur nor the DRA has the capacity to accommodate refugees from South Sudan and noted that they are already suffering from internal displacement.

The DRA chief also called on Darfuri rebel group not to take sides in the South Sudan conflict.

Last week, the Sudanese government said that the country is prepared to receive refugees from its southern neighbor in line with international conventions and neighborhood rights.

The UNHCR said in a statement issued on Tuesday that as of 30 December “several hundred” of South Sudanese arrived in Sudan.

“The fighting and insecurity mean that in some cases UNHCR staff and partners have limited or no access to border areas, such as between South Sudan and Sudan”, the UNHCR underlined to explain its failure to provide the exact number of South Sudanese refugees who fled to Sudan.

(ST)