Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Christian Aid warned that South Sudan could be overwhelmed by the influx of refugees who are escaping the war in Sudan.
In a report released early this week, the organisation noted that it believes that up to 120,000 people, including South Sudanese “returnees,” could cross the border if the conflict, which has entered its third week, continues.
Christian Aid also reported that between 13,000 and 20,000 people have already entered South Sudan, which is “struggling to cope” with the limited support from the partner organisations in the country.
On Tuesday, the United Nations put the total number of people who have fled to other countries at 100,000—a figure that, it says, could reach more than 800,000 people.
This includes people who were already refugees in Sudan, plus one million from countries such as Ethiopia and Eritrea.
A UNHCR spokesperson, Olga Sarrado, told journalists that many of the seven neighbouring countries were already hosting large refugee and internally displaced populations.
“The majority remain severely underfunded. Asylum countries will need additional support to provide protection and assistance. Among the urgent needs are water, food, shelter, healthcare, relief items, gender-based violence response and prevention, and child-protection services,” Olga explained.
The International Organisation for Migration estimates that more than 334,000 people have been displaced in Sudan, while the UN’s humanitarian affairs office said that aid agencies and partners were facing a “huge funding gap” of $1.5 billion.
“It has also reported a “massive looting” of the offices and warehouses of humanitarian organisations.”
“Without more solidarity, as the international community showed in Ukraine, we could be overwhelmed by the plight of all those needing the essentials of food, water, and medical help,” Olga said.
The Christian Aid South Sudan country director, James Wani, said on Tuesday: “Many women and children are sleeping out in the open at risk from violent crime and snakebites.”
“There are close to one million South Sudanese people in Sudan. The existing aid programme for South Sudan this year is only a quarter funded, and that’s before this latest influx of desperate people,” Wani added.
The UNHCR has reported concerns that the conflict between rival security forces in Sudan will exacerbate inter-communal violence in Darfur, where sites hosting internally displaced people have already been burned to the ground.
Last Friday, the Sudanese Ministry of Health put the number of dead at 512, but this is believed to be a conservative estimate. Last week, UNICEF reported that nine children had been killed in the fighting.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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