The United Nations has reported that one million people have fled the ongoing chaos of Sudan’s nearly four-year civil war, seeking refuge in South Sudan.
According to the latest update, released earlier this week, over 770,000 individuals have crossed through the Joda border point on South Sudan’s northern frontier with Sudan over the past 21 months.
According to africanews Sanaa Abdalla Omer of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that “The influx of more than a million individuals into South Sudan is a striking and alarming figure that highlights the escalating nature of this crisis.”
The report notes that the majority of those crossing the border are South Sudanese nationals who had previously sought refuge in Sudan due to their own country’s civil war. Despite their limited resources, South Sudanese communities have shown remarkable generosity, welcoming those in need with open arms.
However, as Omer emphasized, the burden is too great for South Sudan to handle alone.
In Renk County, located along South Sudan’s northern border, two transit centers originally designed for fewer than 5,000 people are now overwhelmed, housing over 16,000 individuals.
The United Nations has called for increased assistance to support both displaced individuals and the local communities hosting them, warning that critical resources such as healthcare, water, and shelter are becoming dangerously strained.
