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More people flee to Uganda from South Sudan following latest violence: UN

Xinhua, July 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

A total of 2,959 people had fled to Uganda from South Sudan to seek shelter and safety between last Friday and Sunday, and the influx will keep growing in the days ahead as tensions remain high, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the press briefing here on Tuesday, UNHCR spokesperson Leo Dobbs said that these new arrivals bring the total number of those having fled to Uganda since the latest violence in South Sudan began on July 7 to 5,015.

"More than 90 percent of the new arrivals were women and children under the age of 18," the spokesperson noted.

He added that UNHCR expected more people to flee to Uganda, especially now that the 200-km Juba-Nimule road, linking the South Sudan capital to Uganda, has been cleared of checkpoints.

"People are arriving in Uganda tired and hungry. Many of them have walked for days carrying belongings, others are suffering from malnutrition after walking without food for days," the spokesperson stressed.

Fresh fighting broke out in Juba on July 7. According to initial government figures, at least 272 people have been killed, including 33 civilians during the clash. Endit