Urgent action needed for Sudanese refugees in South Sudan

  •  united nations
  • Inter Press Service

Amnesty International, the London based rights group,is appealing to the international community to put an end to the humanitarian disaster in South Sudan. The disaster has been caused by refugees who are fleeing from Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile regions in Sudan.

Since June 2011 non-governmental (NGOs) have been denied access to the southern regions of Sudan to assist civilians. As a result of aerial bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and lack of food and supplies more than 100,000 of civilians have been displaced to Unity and Upper Nile states in South Sudan, according to the report. The numbers of incoming refugees keep increasing.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, warned last week of the deterioration of the humanitarian situation. 'Not only are refugee numbers suddenly much higher, but the condition that many of these people are in is shockingly bad,' said Guterres. 'Some have been eating tree leaves to survive along the way.'

The report titled 'We can run away from bombs, but not from hunger' documents the situation of the Yida refugee camp, the closest to the Sudan border, and the challenges that international organisations are facing. The proximity of the refugee camp to the frontier is a problem for the protection of the civilians because of the cross border attacks.

Doro and Jamman are other refugees camps facing food and water shortages. 'The situation is desperate and time is running out to ensure the refugees have adequate protection and supplies during the six-month rainy season when logistical constraints in South Sudan cripple attempts to provide assistance,' said Khairunissa Dhala, Amnesty International’s South Sudan researcher in the press release. Amnesty International is asking the UN Security Council to 'convince' the Sudanese government to allow humanitarian access to Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile regions to assist civilians.

© Inter Press Service (2012) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service