Nearly 4,500 displaced by recent clashes in Upper Nile

April 8, 2014 (JUBA) – Recent skirmishes in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state have forced nearly 4,500 people to seek shelter at the United Nations mission in the capital, Malakal, an official said on Tuesday.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general said the recent displacement brings the total number of civilians in that protection of civilian sites in Malakal to an estimated 26,000.

Over 115,000 are reportedly being sheltered at various UN compounds countrywide.

“That is the highest number of displaced that the Mission is protecting since the start of the present conflict in December 2013,” Dujarric said in a statement.

The world body also expressed concerns over new displacements of the population reported by its humanitarian partners in parts of South Sudan, including 31,000 in Jonglei state.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced as a result of misunderstandings in South Sudan’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The wrangles, involving South Sudanese president Salva Kiir and former vice-president Riek Machar has placed over three million people at risk of starvation, with the UN World Food Programme recently launching an appeal for at least $260 million.

(ST)