UN says 80 thousand Southern Sudanese fled the conflict to Khartoum

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan, OCHA said Thursday that the number of South Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict in their country has risen to about 80 thousand people since mid-December, Anadolu news agency reported.

OCHA noted in its weekly report that nearly 13.000 Southern Sudanese have fled their country last week meaning that more than a thousand people were displaced during the past week.

OCHA said the displaced refugees are in dire need to receive humanitarian aid including “food, shelter and health”.

The United Nations announced on May, 8 the displacement of more than 67 thousand Southern Sudanese because of the continued fighting in their country.

The Sudanese government Thursday expressed concern over the situation in South Sudan after mutual accusations between the rival parties of violating the peace agreement signed in Addis Ababa and called on them to abide by the agreement.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the crisis in South Sudan has significant implications for the region’s countries, especially Sudan since peace and security represent an integral issue and no state can be stable while its neighbours suffer from strife and lack of security” Anadolu news agency reported.

The statement noted that Sudan “is following with great concern the persistent reports of the South Sudanese rival parties violating the Addis Ababa agreement and the mutual accusations in this regard and the confrontations that took place in Jonglei, Upper Nile and Al- Wehda states during the past two days”.

Sudan had hoped that the agreement represents the basis for a comprehensive peace in southern Sudan” said the statement, stressing that “dialogue and peaceful means are the only way to resolve the differences between the political parties in South Sudan”.

President of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit and former vice President Riek Machar signed on Friday a comprehensive peace agreement to end the war in southern Sudan, enter a cease-fire within 24 hours, deploy international forces to monitor the cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to reach those affected as well as to cooperate without conditions with the United Nations and humanitarian agencies.

The agreement stipulates also to form a consensus government and to develop a common vision for the devolution of power and wealth sharing and the formation of a commission to write the constitution.