Thousands of refugees flee war, famine in South Sudan

KHARTOUM: The number of South Sudanese refugees in Sudan’s White Nile State has risen to 140 000, according to the latest statistics from Sudan’s Commission of Refugees.

“The White Nile State has established eight camps to accommodate the continuing influxes of refugees from South Sudan,” said Mohamed Idriss Al-Sheikh, the Humanitarian Aid Commission commissioner in White Nile state.

He said local authorities were providing all services, including food, education, health and water, to the refugees.

He also said there were no security problems inside the refugee camps in White Nile, denying previous reports about the spread of diseases such as watery diarrhoea.

The refugees are fleeing the war and famine in South Sudan.

Al-Alagaiya refugee camp of al-Jabalain locality, 110km south of Rabak, the capital city of White Nile state, is accommodating some 15 000 South Sudanese refugees.

Martha Simon, a South Sudanese refugee living in Al-Alagaiya camp, said her family felt at home at the camp.

“We have been living in this camp for about three years.

“Everything is good and we do not feel like strangers because we were part of Sudan. We still feel like we are home,” she said.

Adam Joub, another South Sudanese refugee, also expressed contentment. “We headed to Sudan which received us without any complications,” he said.

Earlier this week the UN High Commission for Refugees said about 20 000 South Sudanese refugees had arrived in Sudan’s border areas fleeing the violence in the Upper Nile area.