Increasing number of South Sudan refugees in Ethiopia

Humanitarian organizations recorded a sharp increase in newly arriving South Sudanese refugees to Ethiopia last month, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Humanitarian organizations recorded a sharp increase in newly arriving South Sudanese refugees to Ethiopia last month, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The number of new arrivals in April was over 4,000, compared to only 1,000 per month arriving during the first quarter of 2015. “People report walking several days with little food and water,” OCHA reported in a regular update.

Currently, Ethiopia hosts over 200,000 South Sudanese refugees. About 90 percent are women or children.

Photo: Refugees at Lietchuor Camp, Gambella Region, Ethiopia (Aloys Vimard/MSF)