Number of South Sudanese refugees in Sudan increases steadily

The UN announced on Saturday that the number of refugees who have fled from the civil war in South Sudan across the border into Sudan has reached 27,000. Almost 5,000 have crossed the border in the past 21 days.

According to the UN office for Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan, “Humanitarian organisations provided aid and food for the displaced South Sudanese, especially in the districts of South and East Kordofan, at the border between the two countries.” Sexual abuse against women aged between 15 and 49 has increased in several areas where refugees are settling, added the UN report. The number of patients with skin and liver diseases has also increased.

Mohanad Awad, who is responsible for South Sudan affairs for the National Party in Khartoum, said in an official statement, “The migration of a large number of citizens from South Sudan to the Sudan is a proof of the deep relations between the two countries.” There is a lot of solidarity between the two countries, he added.

The flow of refugees comes as forces affiliated to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir continue to clash with those linked to his former deputy. Negotiations between the two sides have been taking place in Addis Ababa, but no positive outcomes have emerged.