Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Some Sudanese refugees at Gorom settlement in the western part of Juba City on Tuesday appealed for the provision of basic services in the camp.
Speaking to Eye Radio on World Refugee Day, the displaced people said they lack clean drinking water and essential drugs in the camp.
The civilians who had just fled the conflict in Sudan decry lack adequate food, water and shelter.
“Food is there, but water and medication for the children since we came, we are suffering because we have just started the settlement process,” said a refugee.
“I haven’t found a place to settle, food or water and there is no income. When it rains there is no place for shelter, life is generally hard either here or there.”
“We are really suffering. I have 5 days in the camp and we have not yet been registered there is no food and there is no income we do not have anything.”
Responding to their complaints, UNHCR’s Country Representative Marie Helene Verney, said they are putting efforts to scale up clean water supply at the settlement.
Helene added that there are efforts to provide shelter to new arrivals, but that this will delay due to the influx of returnees and refugees at the South Sudan – Sudan border.
“It is a lot of people that are arriving and of course our energy is also very much focused on helping the South Sudanese who are returning we have more than 125,000 people crossing the border from the Sudan you can imagine,” she said.
“One of our priority is we need to help the people who are stuck in Renk to be able to move so we really battling on several front now.”
“The refugees that are arriving in Gorom is expending very quickly, refugees that are arriving will all getting one shelter per family but obviously it takes time and for the water availability, efforts are being done right now to scale up the availability of water in Gorom.”
On his part, John Dabi, the Deputy Commissioner for Refugee Affairs, said UNHCR is planning to register primary eight and senior four refugee students to enable sit for the certificate exams in South Sudan.
“Those refugees who are coming, please feel at home and make sure you make good opportunity of your being here,” he said.
“Those who are having access to school, please come to school and those who want to sit for the exams, we are looking forward to registering those students from primary 8 and senior four and then we will talk to the Ministry of education to see if they can be allowed to sit for the exams.”
“We are also advocating on behalf of the refugees to ensure that those refugees are registered and at least they are provided some services.”
South Sudan on Tuesday celebrated World Refugee Day under the theme: “Hopes Away from Home!”
This year’s commemoration comes at a time were tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees are pouring into the country from the northern border because of the fighting in their home country.
The Refugee Day is celebrated every June 20 to honor people who have been forced to flee their home countries.
According to UNHCR, Gorom Refugee Settlement Camp which is situated west of Juba has about 5,000 refugees from different nationalities including Sudanese, Congolese, Ethiopians, and Burundians.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, South Sudan has Africa’s largest refugee crisis with nearly 2.3 million displaced out of the country and millions of others internally displaced.
Source: Eye Radio
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