14,000 South Sudanese flee violence to Sudan: UN
The United Nations refugee agency says the rising number of people fleeing violence in South Sudan is creating a huge emergency, saying that more should be done to prevent a looming disaster.
A refugee coordinator of the UNHCR regional office in South Sudan said Saturday that some 14,000 South Sudanese have fled to Sudan as a result of the surge in fighting.
“In the last week we have an influx of about 7,000, and in the last two weeks about 14,000 arriving and that’s considered an emergency within an emergency,” said Ann Encontre, calling for more financial support to the UN mission.
More than 157,000 South Sudanese have fled to Sudan since the outbreak of an internal conflict in the country in December 2013, when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of orchestrating a coup. The row sparked sectarian clashes between followers of the two statesmen, further dividing the newly established nation along ethnic and tribal lines.
Most of the people fleeing the violence are from the oil-rich provinces in the north of country, including Upper Nile and Unity. Women and children reportedly account for over 80 percent of the recent influx.
Encontre said the UN mission in South Sudan needs more facilities to accommodate new arrivals prior to the looming rainy season, otherwise a disaster could happen in the coming weeks.
“If we are not prepared, the rainy season could be disastrous, there could be outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as dysentery and cholera,” he said.
South Sudan gained independence in 2011 after a peace agreement ended more than 20 years of bloody civil war. Sudan grants privileges, including health care, education and other services to those fleeing violence in South Sudan as the Sudanese government does not designate them as refugees.
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