Refugees in South Sudan increase to more than 500,000

MADRID 12 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The number of refugees in different parts of South Sudan has increased to more than 500,000, a figure that has almost doubled in the last year, according to estimates published this Friday by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

“The refugee population in South Sudan has almost doubled in less than 18 months and the worst is yet to come. The conflict in Sudan is hitting South Sudan harder than any other country in the region and adds to the immense challenges facing the nation,” said UNHCR representative in the country, Marie-Hélène Verney.

The refugees are spread across 30 points in the country, mainly in the Maban refugee camps – where more than half are housed -, Jamjang, Wedweil and Gorom. Additionally, another 135,000 refugees live in the Ruweng administrative area. Most of them have been displaced by the armed conflict in neighboring Sudan since April 2023.

In a statement, the Agency has warned of the impact that this war is having at a critical moment, taking into account that there are two million South Sudanese internally displaced.

“The current crisis in Sudan has severely disrupted oil supply routes and exports, increasing inflation and further weakening the economy,” the note states. This has skyrocketed the prices of basic products, impoverishing the lives of locals and “making it extremely difficult for newcomers to integrate.”

Therefore, UNHCR has called for other agencies and authorities to “join efforts to help South Sudan integrate the hundreds of thousands of people who have arrived” and has requested more support from donors to cover their costs. activities, since this October they were only 47 percent funded.

These operations include immediate needs, such as water, shelter and medical care, and long-term needs such as “access to identity documents, livelihood opportunities and inclusion in national systems such as health and education.”

“It is clear, however, that the only solution is an end to the conflict in Sudan. South Sudan is reeling from the shock and cannot continue to absorb so much suffering,” Verney warned.

Before the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, South Sudan was already hosting 275,000 refugees.