“Most of those fleeing South Sudan are women and children”, Leo Dobbs, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told the press at a regular briefing held at the UN Office at Geneva.
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The United Nations says that about five million South Sudanese people, who amount to a third of the population, suffer from “unprecedented” food insecurity.
This also means that aid agencies are finding it increasingly challenging to cater to the needs of the 1.61 million people who have been internally displaced since the conflict began in December 2013.
More than 185,000 people have since sought shelter across the border in Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic, Dobbs said.
Fighting erupted in South Sudan at the end of 2013 between soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing his former deputy Riek Machar.
It said refugees arriving in neighbouring countries were reporting heavy fighting across the southern Greater Equatoria region, where armed groups were killing civilians, sexually assaulting women and girls and recruiting young boys.
According to the UNCHR, more than 185,000 people have fled South Sudan since fresh violence erupted in the country in Juba on July 8.
“The invitation has been accepted and President Zuma will be visiting South Sudan soon to show solidarity with the people of South Sudan and also the implementation of the agreement and all the bilateral issues”, announced Gatkuoth.
With more than 300 people killed and soldiers specifically targeting global aid workers, the United Nations is now increasing the pressure on Pres. Salva Kiir.
The UNHCR said Uganda was hosting the lion’s share of South Sudanese refugees – 373,626 people, more than a third of them had arrived since early July.
“The fighting has shattered hopes for a real breakthrough and triggered new waves of displacement and suffering”, he added and said that humanitarian organizations are finding it very hard to provide urgent protection and assistance to the hundreds of thousands in need, including 1.61 million internally displaced people, due to logistical, security and funding reasons.
They only agreed to settle their differences under intense worldwide pressure, signing a peace deal in August 2015 – and Mr Machar returned to Juba as vice-president in a unity government in April.
It said the refugees in neighboring countries “arrive exhausted after days [of] walking in the bush and going without food or water”. Over the past week alone, Uganda recorded more than 20,000 new arrivals from its neighbor, the United Nations agency said.
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The UNHCR lauded these countries for keeping their doors open to the new arrivals. In Lasu settlement, some 40 kilometres south of Yei, almost 10,000 refugees from DRC, CAR and Sudan have not received their monthly food rations since late June this year.
