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More than 69,000 people have arrived from South Sudan in Sudan in 2016

Countries
Sudan
+ 1 more
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

HIGHLIGHTS

• More than 69,000 South Sudanese have arrived in Sudan since January 2016 as a result of ongoing conflict and deteriorating food security conditions in South Sudan.

• An inter-agency mission visited Abu Matarig, El Ferdous and Abu Jabra in East Darfur and reported 8,875 South Sudanese refugees in those locations.

• WHS will take place on 23-24 May in Istanbul, Turkey.

• Humanitarian partners and sectors are finding it difficult to continue to meet the needs of new Jebel Marra IDPs with low levels of funding, especially in South Darfur.

Over 69,000 people have arrived from South Sudan in Sudan in 2016

More than 69,000 South Sudanese have arrived in various locations in Sudan since January 2016 as a result of ongoing conflict and deteriorating food security conditions in South Sudan. The majority of new arrivals from South Sudan are in East Darfur State, which is hosting about 45,500 people - or 66 per cent of all the new arrivals in 2016. An additional 5,324 people have arrived in Bileil camp for internally displaced persons (IDP)s) in South Darfur and have been registered by Sudan’s Commissioner of Refugees (COR). In West Kordofan, 7,241 arrivals have been reported by the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC); and in White Nile and Khartoum states, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) have registered 9,000 and 940 arrivals, respectively, since the beginning of 2016 (please see the table on page 2 for details).

According to UNHCR, 226,950 South Sudanese have sought safety and assistance in Sudan since December 2013. While the number of new South Sudanese arrivals in Sudan in 2016 is 75 per cent more than 39,622 arrivals registered by UNHCR during 1 January - 17 May 2015, the level of funding provided is significantly lower.

South Sudanese continue to arrive in East Darfur, inter-agency missions visit Abu Matarig, El Ferdous and Abu Jabra

The influx of South Sudanese refugees into East Darfur continues, with about 1,800 arrivals reported over the past week. An inter-agency needs assessment mission visited on10-11 May Abu Matarig, El Ferdous and Abu Jabra in East Darfur hosting South Sudanese refugees. The mission reported a total of 8,875 people in those locations. In addition, between 9-15 May, 661 new arrivals were registered in Khor Omer camp, which is hosting the majority of South Sudanese arrivals in East Darfur. The number of weekly arrivals in Khor Omer has reduced significantly compared to March and April when weekly arrival rates averaged over 3,000 and 1,700 individuals, respectively. However the underlying drivers of the displacements remain unchanged, with recent food security assessments in South Sudan indicating parts of the country will face a more severe lean season (May to September) in 2016 compared to previous years.

The refugees arriving in East Darfur, South Darfur and West Kordofan states are from Northern Bahr al Ghazal and Warrap states, driven by ongoing conflict and heightened food insecurity resulting from poor harvests, restricted trade, depreciating currency and steeply rising staple food prices.

The inter-agency mission, composed of staff from UN agencies, NGOs and government partners, to Abu Jabra, Abu Matarig and El Ferdous on 10-11 May was escorted by the United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and was the first time humanitarian partners have been able to access and carry out needs assessments for the new arrivals who have settled in areas outside Khor Omer camp in Ed Daein, capital of East Darfur. The preliminary findings of the mission indicate that in all three location there is a need for food and non-food essential supplies, especially water containers. Sanitation is one of the main problems in Abu Jabra as there is not enough space for constructing latrines in the area where the South Sudanese are currently staying. While the South Sudanese have access to local health facilities they lack resources to pay for the services and some health facilities need support in terms of medical supplies.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.