Sudan preparing for possible influx of South Sudanese refugees

July 12, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Head of Sudan’s parliamentary committee on defence and security Ahmed Imam al-Tuhami Tuesday demanded the concerned government organs to take the necessary measures to receive a new wave of refugees expected to flee fighting in South Sudan.

Last Thursday, fighting erupted in South Sudan’s capital Juba between followers of President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, the former rebel leader who became vice president under a deal to end a two-year civil war.

The violence, which has killed hundreds of people, broke out as the world’s newest nation prepared to mark five years of independence from Sudan on July 9.

Al-Tuhami called for the need to coordinate efforts among the army, police, other regular forces and the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) to control the border with South Sudan and put in place an integrated set of measures to deal with the anticipated refugee influx.

According to the United Nations, an estimated 221,000 South Sudanese refugees have fled to Sudan since December 2013 due to armed conflict and food insecurity.

The Sudanese MP expressed his regret over the situation in South Sudan, saying the bloody fighting indicates a lack of trust between the warring parties.

He told the the official news agency (SUNA) that the conflict in South Sudan has turned into a tribal fighting after the leadership of both sides lost control over their followers.

Al-Tuhami appealed to the leaders of the warring parties to listen to the voice of reason in order to spare the country the horrors of war, pointing to President Omer al-Bashir’s contacts to put matters right in South Sudan.

UN CALLS FOR OPEN BORDERS

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called on South Sudan neighboring countries to keep their borders open for possible refugee outflows.
It said that 36,000 people have fled the bloody fighting, pointing that large numbers of them sought to take refuge inside a UN base in Juba.

UNHCR urged South Sudan neighbors “to keep borders open to people seeking asylum”.

In response to the mounting pressure from the international community, the rival leaders in South Sudan on Monday have unilaterally declared cessation of hostilities to stop the fighting between their forces in Juba.

(ST)