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.
Related news and stories
Recurring floods in Sudan displace refugees and their host communities
Across borders, South Sudan's displaced call for peace
Q&A with Mary Maker, UNHCR's newest Global Goodwill Ambassador
UNHCR and partners appeal for US$1.3 billion to support South Sudanese refugees
Coffee connects Ethiopian refugee to home
Coffee connects Ethiopian refugees to home
Your search for « Nuba » matched 108 results. Displaying page 10 of 12 pages.
-
UNHCR Global Report 2013 - Sudan
1 Jun 2014 ... ... HelpAge International, Human Appeal International, Intersos, National Forestry Corporation, Nuba Mountains International Association for Development, National Organization for Care and ...... -
UNHCR Global Appeal 2014-2015 - Sudan
1 Dec 2013 ... ... Foundation, National Forestry Corporation, National Organization for Care and Development, Nuba Mountains International Association for Development, People’s Legal Aid Centre, Rural Community ...... -
Designing appropriate interventions in urban settings: Health, education, livelihoods and registration for urban refugees and returnees
Dec 2009 ... ... UNHCR/ T. Hartwell / October 2007 egypt is home to many Sudanese refugees. Many have opened small businesses such as shops, food outlets, repair shops etc. The Nuba Mountain Association runs a daycare ...... -
Educate A Child - Annual Report 2020
24 Jan 2022 ... ... at her desk in an empty classroom at Kings of Nuba Primary School, located in Pamir refugee camp ... at her desk in an empty classroom at Kings of Nuba Primary School, located in Pamir refugee camp ...... -
UNHCR Action to Address Statelessness - A Strategy Note
Mar 2010 ... ... C O N S T A N T I N E A Nubian woman in front of one of the oldest homes in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. Changes in administrative procedures have enabled a growing number of Nubians to confirm that they ...... -
Refugee identities and relief in an African borderland: a study of northern Uganda and southern Sudan, Jozef Merkx
1 Jun 2000 ... ... Uganda also had a large immigrant population (Ban- yarwanda, Nubians, Kenyan Luo and a significant ... Nubians and Kakwas were the first to cross into Sudan, as they were seen as the remnants of Amin’s ...... -
Refview Issue No. 1: The Mexico Plan of Action
31 Oct 2005 ... ... The love of children builds solidarity among communities Nubia and Jacqueline have several things in ... From the field Nubia used to take care of children in Colombia, but unlike Jacqueline, she has been ...... -
UNHCR Country Operations Plan 2003 - Ethiopia
1 Sep 2002 ... ... The refugees are predominantly Nuers followed by Anuaks, Uduks, Dinkas, Shiluk, Nuba, Lokoro, Murle, Meban, Funj and others. They come from mainly the Upper Nile, Blue Nile, and the Equatorial regions ...... -
Symposium on Citizenship Issues in Sudan: Summary of Proceedings and Related Documents, Khartoum, 6-7 November 2010
7 Nov 2010 ... ... Therefore one could legitimately claim to be both Nubian and Sudanese, for example. Dr. Matthias ... In Kenya, the Nubians – Sudanese taken to Kenya in the colonial era – and Kenyans of Somali ......