The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said it is perturbed by the recent surge of people arriving in South Sudan in need of protection and assistance.
UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado said in a press release on Tuesday from Geneva that tens of thousands of people were fleeing fresh violence in border areas of Sudan and South Sudan.
“More than 20,000 Sudanese from border villages crossed into South Sudan last week – tripling the number of daily arrivals compared to previous weeks,” the statement reads in part. “Since Saturday, there have been an additional estimated 7,000 to 10,000 new arrivals each day, including more South Sudanese refugees leaving the camps in White Nile State where they have been residing in Sudan.”
According to the press statement, the majority of those displaced are women and children, underscoring the impact of the conflict on vulnerable populations.
It added that in addition to the main border crossing at Joda, many refugees were arriving through informal crossing points, which are extremely difficult for UNHCR and its partners to access.
All the arrivals needed life-saving humanitarian support, with water and health care being the most urgent needs, especially given the ongoing cholera outbreak. The transit centers in Renk are already overcrowded, sheltering nearly 17,000 people, an increase of 4,000 from two weeks ago.
A UNHCR team that visited the border on Monday reportedly met thousands of people walking along the 40km road between the border and the town of Renk in an uninterrupted line.
The team said families had also stopped by the side of the road, with some receiving food and water from local communities. UNHCR and partners were scaling up efforts to support new arrivals and strengthen basic services, but severe underfunding remained a challenge.
“Inside Sudan, hostilities around refugee camps and areas hosting displaced Sudanese pose grave and worrying risks to civilians, including refugees and displaced people,” the agency team reported. “The continuation of violence threatens the ability of UNHCR and partners to deliver life-saving protection and assistance to refugees and displaced Sudanese.”
The UN Refugee Agency has called for the respect of international humanitarian law and the civilian nature of refugee camps, which must remain safe havens for those fleeing violence, with humanitarian assets and supplies safeguarded.
White Nile State hosts over 400,000 South Sudanese refugees in 10 refugee camps and more than 650,000 displaced Sudanese who have fled conflict in other parts of the country. Since the start of the war in Sudan in April 2023, this southern State has been a safe haven for those escaping violence in other parts of the country.
More than 12 million people have been displaced, including over 3 million who have sought refuge in neighboring countries, making this one of the largest and most pressing displacement crises in the world.
UNHCR has reaffirmed remaining on the ground in Sudan and neighboring countries, working with its partners to support millions of people affected by the crisis.
The agency has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities to protect civilian lives and ensure the continuation of humanitarian assistance.
So far, the financial resources to support refugees leaving Sudan remain scarce, with the Regional Refugee Response Plan only 30 percent funded as we approach the end of the year.