On visit to South Sudan, senior UN official spotlights ‘forgotten refugee
crisis’
23 November 2012 – A senior United Nations official today highlighted the
need to assist some 60,000 displaced persons living in South Sudan’s largest
refugee camp close to the border with Sudan, describing their situation as a
forgotten crisis.
“This is the most threatening situation I have ever seen in a refugee camp.
Not only because it is close to a war zone, but because of access – all
things have to be brought in by plane,”
<
http://www.unhcr.org/50af7a789.html> said UN High Commissioner for Refugees
António Guterres at the end of his three-day visit to South Sudan.
Since September, thousands of people have been prompted to flee Sudan’s
South Kordofan state into South Sudan’s Yida settlement as a result of
renewed fighting between Sudanese Armed Forces and the rebel group known as
the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA-North).
The influx of refugees almost ceased during the rainy season, when Yida
becomes a virtual island due to its location on wetland, but according to
the UN refugee agency ( <
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home>
UNHCR), it is picking up strongly now that the season has ended.
During his visit, Mr. Guterres met with senior Government officials,
including President Salva Kiir, to whom he appealed for a political solution
to end the hostilities. He also met with refugees in Yida, and urged them to
move to sites deeper in South Sudan located in healthier and safer
environments.
“The people who arrive [in Yida] are dehydrated, malnourished, exhausted,”
Mr. Guterres said, noting that most of the new arrivals are women and
children, while almost 70 per cent of refugees are under the age of 18.
“The proximity of refugees in Yida to a volatile conflict zone raises grave
concerns about the security of refugees,” said the UNHCR Representative in
South Sudan, Mireille Girard. “This is the most dangerous refugee site in
South Sudan.”
UNHCR has been looking at new sites in safer areas where it will be easier
to provide aid and basic services, including health care and education.
However, many refugees seem reluctant to move. Such is the case of Mariam
Siluman, who fled with her husband and children after their home region came
under air attack and their food ran out. In Yida, she has started a small
garden next to their makeshift home. “We don’t want to go anywhere. We want
to stay here,” she said.
New waves of refugees are also expected to continue as the dry season makes
it easier for people to make the journey across the border, UNHCR said,
adding that it is gearing up to help thousands more refugees.
“We will be doing everything we can to mobilize the capacity to respond to
the needs of the people who have suffered so much,” Mr. Guterres said.
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Received on Fri Nov 23 2012 - 18:04:35 EST
