Sudan’s White Nile State receives new influx of S.Sudan refugees: official
July 3, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s White Nile State said it has received 225 South Sudanese refugees earlier this week.
Director of refugees department at the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in the White Nile Mustafa al-Fadil said the refugees arrived at Sangour camps via Jodat Al-Adl border crossing.
He pointed out that representatives from the United Nations and a number of donor countries have visited refugee camps at Al-Salam and Al-Jabalein localities, saying they vowed to provide food and the necessary services for the refugees.
Al-Fadil added several groups of South Sudanese refugees are stranded at Kuwaik and Megaineis border crossings, saying more than 10 aid groups are providing basic services for the refugees in coordination with the host communities.
Over 2 million South Sudanese refugees have been displaced as a result of the conflict that hit the world’s youngest nation in mid-December 2013.
According to the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of 15 January 2018, the total South Sudanese refugee population in Sudan stood at 770,110.
Other sources estimate a total of 1.3 million South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, but this data requires verification.
South Sudanese refugees in Sudan have reportedly been distributed in four states including the White Nile, South Kordofan, East Darfur and Khartoum states, amid concerns the current numbers will rise.
In August 2016, Sudan officially declared that South Sudanese fleeing war in their country will be treated as refugees, which opens the door for the UN to provide them with aid and fund aid programs.
The UNHCR said 3,000 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Sudan in the first half of January 2018.
According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), an estimated 200,000 new South Sudanese refugees are anticipated to arrive in Sudan in 2018.
(ST)