Thousands flee to Uganda from South Sudan following latest violence

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Tuesday said thousands of people from the conflict-hit South Sudan have fled to Uganda following a recent fighting between rival army factions in the capital, Juba.

In a statement issued here, the agency said a total of 1,326 people crossed into the neighboring Uganda between Friday and Saturday, with 1,633 more arriving on Sunday.

Prior to Friday, the average daily rate was 233. The new arrivals bring the total number of refugees who have fled to Uganda since the latest violence in South Sudan began on July 7 to 5,015; more than 90 per cent of the new arrivals were women and children under the age of 18 years.

"The number of people seeking shelter and safety in Uganda from South Sudan has risen significantly in the past few days and we believe the influx will keep growing in the days ahead as tensions remain high across the border," said UNHCR in a statement.

UNHCR said it expects more people to flee to the East African country, especially now that the 200-kilometre Juba-Nimule road, linking the South Sudan capital to Uganda, has been cleared of checkpoints. The border was previously closed on the South Sudan side, but restrictions have been eased.

"As a result, more people are now coming by truck, and this explains the rising numbers of arrivals. Many are also bringing belongings," said UNHCR.

The agency noted that thousands of people have entered into Uganda's northern region via the border crossing points at Moyo, Kuluba, Lamwo, Yumbe and Elegu, while some are heading directly to Kiryandongo refugee settlement in the mid-west of the country.

The new arrivals are mostly fleeing from Eastern Equatoria state, with a smaller number arriving from Juba. They report that the security situation remains volatile and fighting could return at any time and refugees talk of an increase in looting.

Inside Uganda, more than 6,000 South Sudanese are staying in the Pagiarinya refugee settlement in northwestern district of Adjumani, while others are waiting at collection points to be transferred to the settlement.

UNHCR said that the a recent evaluation found that Pagiarinya settlement has capacity for another 6,500 people, meaning it is likely to be full within a few days.

"An inter-agency site assessment mission, including officials from the Government of Uganda Office of the Prime Minister and UNHCR, are currently visiting sites to identify areas suitable for establishing new settlement areas," said the statement.

The people reportedly arriving in Uganda are tired, hungry and others are suffering from malnutrition after walking without food for days while carrying belongings.

The UN has said that at least 300 people were killed and over 10,000 fled their homes after the recent fighting between government troops of President Salva Kiir and forces loyal to Vice President Riek Machar in Juba.

Several countries and organizations have evacuated their nationals. UNHCR, as part of the overall humanitarian response, is undertaking assessments and providing assistance in displacement sites.

Although a fragile ceasefire has held since last Monday, UN has warned of the possibility of fresh fighting in the capital, Juba.

In western Ethiopia's Gambella region, the number of new arrivals has not risen significantly since June 11, but the fresh fighting has dampened hopes of returning home soon, according to the refugee agency.

The Kenya-South Sudan border has also been relatively quiet. To date UNHCR has transferred 169 new arrivals from the Nadapal border to Kakuma camp.

"The fresh displacement will put a further strain on UNHCR's resources for the South Sudan operation and our ability to provide timely and life-saving assistance, especially with access to Juba difficult," it said.

Last Friday in Nairobi, UNHCR presented a revised appeal for its South Sudanese refugees operations, seeking 701 million U.S.dollars. The earlier appeal for 638 million U.S.dollars was only 17 percent funded. Endit