The South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) in Upper Nile state’s Renk county has confirmed the arrival of refugees from the Republic of Mali due to civil war.

The SSRRC commissioner, Santino Fadiat, told Radio Tamazuj that four Malian refugees arrived in Renk County last Friday after crossing the Sudanese border into Upper Nile state.

“It’s true that there are some Malian migrants who came to Renk County. Even they came to us in the office here and they are four in number. We …have reported the issue to the UNHCR representative here in Renk in the presence of all NGOs operating in Renk.  We are still searching for others, then we will ask them for the reason why they are here. They have now been a week with us here,” Santino pointed out.

The commissioner acknowledged that the small group claimed to have crossed through a number of countries to reach South Sudan and the commission have informed relevant authorities in Juba about the matter.

The Sudanese government have been accused recently by rebel group, the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), of accommodating Mujahideen rebels from Mali in North Darfur although these accusations were denied.

An independent human rights commissioner, Masood Badri al-Deen, claimed in a press conference in Khartoum that UNAMID have confirmed a Malian rebel presence in Darfur. 

Photo: Mina Camp in December 2011