Fresh fighting over past month forces 3,000 to flee Sudan's Nuba Mountains
Refugees, mainly from Um Dorrein, Heiban and Delami counties, also cited the lack of livelihood opportunities and education in their home areas as reasons for leaving.
GENEVA, January 30 (UNHCR) - The UN refugee agency on Friday reported that fresh fighting in Sudan's Nuba Mountains has led to an increase in the number of people fleeing to South Sudan in the past month.
UNHCR field staff said that more than 3,000 Sudan citizens from South Kordofan and Blue Nile states have arrived since December 23 at the border town of Yida, a spontaneous settlement in South Sudan's Unity state already sheltering some 80,000 Sudanese refugees.
"With arrival rates exceeding 500 people per week, this represents an increase of more than 100 per cent compared to the same period of 2013," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told journalists in Geneva.
Refugees, mainly from Um Dorrein, Heiban and Delami counties, told UNHCR that they had escaped conflict and widespread violence in the Nuba Mountains region, including air and ground attacks. Refugees have also cited the lack of livelihood opportunities and education in their areas of origin as reasons for leaving.
"The majority arrived in trucks while others came on foot," Spindler said. "Nearly 70 per cent of new arrivals are children, and an estimated 10 per cent suffer from malnutrition and measles. Refugees reported that many more Sudanese are on their way to South Sudan, but we are not in a position to confirm this information," he added.
At the transit centre in Yida, UNHCR and its partners provide assistance to the new arrivals, including hot meals. Refugees are medically screened and receive a measles vaccination upon arrival. UNHCR undertakes biometric registration of new arrivals to ensure that refugees can be identified quickly and are able to access assistance.
To date, more than 80 per cent of new arrivals have been transported from Yida to Ajuong Thok, a camp established in March 2013 to ease overcrowding in the Yida settlement. The remaining 20 per cent have decided to settle in Yida as they have family in the settlement. In Ajuong Thok, all refugees undergo further medical screening and all children under 15 years old are vaccinated against measles.
With 18,000 Sudanese refugees living in Ajuong Thok, the camp has almost reached its full capacity of 25,000 people and UNHCR is concerned that current funding may be inadequate to meet the needs of additional refugees.
Spindler said UNHCR was working with the government of South Sudan to identify a site to set up a new camp in Unity state in preparation for any more arrivals. South Sudan hosts nearly 250,000 refugees, mostly from Sudan, and more than 1.8 million internally displaced people.
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UNHCR Global Report 2012 - Sudan
1 Jun 2013 ... Help Age International, Human Appeal International, INTERSOS, National Forestry Corporation, Nuba Mountains International Association for Development, National Organization for Care and ...... -
Flooding across the border. A review of UNHCR's response to the Sudanese refugee emergency in South Sudan
18 Jul 2013 ... ... South Kordofan State (particularly around the Nuba Mountains) and Blue Nile State – both ... the likelihood that many would return to the Nuba Mountains in conditions of continued insecurity. ...... -
Refugee Livelihoods Final Issue, RLN May 2006
31 May 2006 ... ... The Nuba Mountains Programme Addressing Conflict Transformation (NMPACT) food programme described in ... a situation that enables a peace process led by Nuba people, reinforced through the participation of ...... -
World Refugee Day 2004 Final Report: Central Asia, South-West Asia, North Africa, The Middle East (CASWANAME)
3 Dec 2004 ... ... Almost 400 guests enjoyed the open air atmosphere of Club Mohamed Ali by the Nile. Guests danced to the music of the famous Nubian singer Mohamed Mounir, who performed pro bono. The event was ...... -
UNHCR Global Appeal 2011 (update) - Kenya
1 Dec 2010 ... ... Despite the recent encouraging recognition of some stateless persons (see above), several communities, including Nubians and the Galjeel, remain at risk of becoming stateless. A collaborative research ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2010 - Kenya
20 Jun 2011 ... ... Other activities to raise awareness of statelessness included a photo exhibition in Nairobi on the Nubian community. l Additional activities included: protection assessments for two populations deemed ...... -
UNHCR chief visits South Sudan to spotlight "forgotten refugee crisis"
23 Nov 2012 ... But he predicted civilians would continue to flee from South Kordofan. "They can be bombed from the air at any time, attacked from the ground at any time. We know there is no safe place in the Nuba ...... -
Provisional Programme, Global Forum on Statelessness (15 - 17 September 2014, The Hague)
21 May 2014 ... ... and paralegal projects: Laura Bingham (Open Society Justice Initiative), Mustafa Mahmoud Yousif (Nubian Rights Forum, Kenya), Laura Goodwin (Namati, Myanmar), Khalid Hussain (Council of Minorities, ...... -
UNHCR chief appeals for massive humanitarian support for South Sudan
9 Jan 2012 ... ... Refugee leaders claimed, during a meetng with Guterres, that there were at least 300,000 people hiding in the Nuba mountains across the border, terrified and quickly running out of food and water. ......