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South Sudan Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 20 | 21 December 2016

Countries
South Sudan
+ 5 more
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Highlights

• Thousands of South Sudanese continue to flee to Uganda.

• Three years since the conflict in South Sudan began, humanitarian needs continue to rise.

• A measles outbreak has been confirmed in Wau, bringing the total number of outbreaks country-wide this year to 13.

• Humanitarians find aid hub looted during visit to Nhialdiu.

Figures

No. of Internally Displaced Persons: 1.83 million No. of refugees in neighboring countries: 1.3 million No. of people assisted in 2016 (as of 30 October): 4.7 million

Refugee outflow continues

The number of South Sudanese fleeing to Uganda continues to grow, with 7,046 new arrivals recorded in a single day on 13 December.

Refugees who are newly arriving in Uganda - 86 per cent of whom are women and children - continue to face long and difficult journeys in their search for safety.

The majority reach Uganda through informal border points, while more than 4,000 have arrived in Uganda via the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Many refugees report that they are leaving South Sudan due to the deteriorating security situation, including fighting in Yei and Wonduruba areas, looting of properties, and rumours of upcoming attacks by armed actors in the Equatorias.

In addition to those fleeing to Uganda, there are an increasing number of people fleeing to Kenya from areas such as Lainya, Wonduruba, Yei, Juba and Torit. Refugees arriving into Kenya report that they chose the route as the roads to the Ugandan border are increasingly dangerous, with armed actors harassing, robbing and targeting people fleeing.

Since July 2016, more than 394,500 South Sudanese have arrived in Uganda, bringing the total number of refugees there to over 584,000. There are now over 92,000 South Sudanese refugees in Kenya.

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