The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said in its weekly report that the number of South Sudanese fleeing to neighbouring Uganda continues to grow, with 7,046 new arrivals recorded on 13 December.

“Refugees who are newly arriving in Uganda - 86 per cent of whom are women and children - continue to face long and difficult journeys in their search for safety,” said OCHA.

It further said the majority reach Uganda through informal border points, while more than 4,000 have arrived in Uganda via the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The UN agency pointed out that many refugees reported that they are leaving South Sudan due to the deteriorating security situation, including fighting in Yei and Wonduruba areas, looting of properties, and rumours of upcoming attacks by armed actors in the Equatoria.

According to OCHA, there are an increasing number of people fleeing to Kenya from areas such as Lainya, Wonduruba, Yei, Juba and Torit.

It noted that the South Sudanese refugees arriving into Kenya report that they chose the route as the roads to the Ugandan border are increasingly dangerous, with armed actors harassing, robbing and targeting people fleeing.

The report said that more than 394,500 South Sudanese have arrived in Uganda since July, bringing the total number of refugees there to over 584,000. it added that there are now over 92,000 South Sudanese refugees in Kenya.

File photo: Children and adults gather Dec. 10 around a bore-hole in the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in Bidi Bidi, Uganda/AP