Thousands of South Sudanese civilians displaced by violence have passed through Nimule border town en route to Uganda where they will be registered as refugees.
Many have camped out on the streets of Nimule in the open during cold weather owing to lack of space indoors. Most of the refugees are women and children and they are not moving in organized groups but are paying their own transport fares.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj in the border town, an eyewitness said that many of the refugees came from Bor and Juba. They first come and rest with relatives in Nimule or else sleep on the streets before moving on to Uganda, he added, noting that the weather was cold.
Food prices in Nimule have risen since the town became a transit area for those crossing into Uganda, with shortages of drinking water also reported.
“Drinking water is a another problem that is facing those fleeing the conflict in South Sudan, women are sleeping at the water point due to a huge queue,” he said.
A UN official speaking to Radio Tamazuj today said that as of 2 January the UNHCR office in Uganda already verified 7,000 refugees from South Sudan with approximately 6,000 more awaiting registration.
South Sudanese migration officers have been issuing migration documents to those moving to Uganda to seek refuge. The papers are given on the South Sudanese side and then accepted on the Ugandan side. Authorities on both sides are facilitating the movement of the refugees.
Nimule has not seen clashes as occurred elsewhere in the town, but the security situation is still tense. Security forces on both sides have started prohibiting motorcycles from crossing between South Sudan and Uganda.
The bikes used to be allowed to cross with little or no check: “Uganda People’s Defense Force have come near to the border, and checking is done on both side with no motorbikes allowed as before.”
Photo: Families displaced by violence in Juba to the UN Jebel base, 23 December 2013 (Reuters)