The conditions of more than 1,600 Sudanese refugees from Wirni and Kawnyaro areas in South Kordofan are reportedly deteriorating in South Sudan's Upper Nile state.

“They are suffering a lot. They are living under trees, and diseases are spreading among children and women,” a source confirmed.

Al-Teib Soya, the managing director of the Kawnyaro area in Upper Nile State, told Radio Tamazuj that those who fled to Fashoda County and to the western river side of Malakal town endure “the very worst situations.”

“Malaria and malnutrition are prevalent. There are no sheets or shelters,” he said, while warning that conditions generally worsen during the rainy season.

The director stressed that hundreds of refugees, including children, are missing or hiding in the forests and appealed to aid organisations to provide humanitarian assistance to the refugees.