ForAfrika is gearing up to provide humanitarian assistance to thousands of people fleeing to South Sudan, where it has its largest office, from the conflict that erupted in Sudan almost two weeks ago.
We join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in its concern that a large, unplanned number of new returns will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis South Sudan already faces, and possibly cause conflict in already struggling communities.
“ForAfrika’s South Sudan team will continue to keenly monitor the unfolding situation, especially in relation to the arrival of displaced persons in our areas of operation and contiguous areas,” said Leader Makumator, ForAfrika’s South Sudan Country Director.
ForAfrika is participating regularly in meetings with other humanitarian assistance organisations in the country and reaching out to key United Nations agencies, Makumator said.
The UNHCR reported on 25 April 2023 that, before unrest broke out in Sudan on 15 April, more than 2.3-million of South Sudan’s citizens were internally displaced and almost three-quarters of the population was in need of humanitarian assistance. In addition, 2.2-million South Sudanese were already refugees in neighbouring countries.
According to the International Organization for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix and UNHCR figures, nearly 4 000 people had been registered as moving from Sudan to South Sudan as of 24 April, the UNHCR reports.
On 18 April, the UNHCR’s South Sudan country team agreed that a contingency plan should be developed for a possible influx of people into South Sudan, with a most likely scenario estimating an influx of 45 000 Sudanese and 125 000 South Sudanese returnees.
Most of those fleeing to South Sudan, whether they are returning to areas from which they originally came or are refugees from other countries, are expected to go to parts of the country that are extremely fragile as a result of conflict, climate change or food insecurity – or a combination of all three. The situation is exacerbated by the worsening impacts of climate change.