UN says over 69,000 South Sudanese refugees arrive in Sudan since January

More than 69,000 South Sudanese have arrived in Sudan since January this year as a result of conflict and deteriorating food security in South Sudan, said United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in its newest weakly bulletin.

"The majority of refugees from South Sudan entered East Darfur State, which is hosting about 45,500, or 66 percent of all the new arrivals in 2016," it noted.

OCHA further stated that another 5,324 refugees have arrived in Bileil camp for internally displaced persons in South Darfur and have been registered by Sudan's Commissioner of Refugees.

In West Kordofan, 7,241 people have been reported by the Humanitarian Aid Commission, and in White Nile and Khartoum states, the UN Refugee Agency and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society have registered 9,000 and 940 arrivals, respectively, it said.

In February, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said that over 50,000 South Sudanese have reached Sudan since the beginning of 2016, surpassing the planned figure set for the entire year.

UN agencies warned against funding shortfall for the assistance to South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, saying that "only 18 percent of the 2016 humanitarian requirement has been funded, leaving over 128 million U.S. dollars in unmet needs."

According to UNHCR, 226,950 South Sudanese have sought safety and assistance in Sudan since December 2013.

The majority of the Southern Sudanese refugees in Sudan live in seven camps in White Nile, East Darfur, West Kordofan and Khartoum States.

On March 17, the Sudanese government decided to treat the South Sudanese citizens residing in Sudan as foreigners, and it would take legal measures against whoever does not have a passport or an entry visa. Endit