The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has announced that the number of displaced individuals seeking refuge in South Sudan due to the conflict in neighboring Sudan has risen to 500,000.
Marie-Helene Verney, the UNHCR representative in South Sudan, stated that this figure has nearly doubled since last year. Speaking on Friday, she emphasized the growing impact of the crisis in the region.
Verney highlighted that South Sudan has welcomed the second-largest number of individuals fleeing Sudan, with over 810,000 arrivals since the conflict erupted in mid-April 2023.
“The refugee population in South Sudan has nearly doubled in less than 18 months, and we anticipate even greater challenges ahead,” she noted. “The conflict in Sudan is affecting South Sudan more severely than any other country in the region, adding to the significant difficulties the nation is already facing.”
Verney called for support from other humanitarian organizations, stating that the UNHCR and its partners are leading the response and urged additional efforts to help integrate the hundreds of thousands of new arrivals.