UN refugee agency opens new camp in South Sudan

The UN refugee agency said on Friday that it has officially opened a new camp in South Sudan to provide better protection and services to refugees relocating from Yida settlement and new arrivals from the war-torn Nuba Mountains.

A statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the new camp in Pamir, some 80 km south of the contested border with Sudan, is ready to accommodate up to 20,000 people at the moment.

UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner George Okoth-Obbo, who was on a three-day visit to South Sudan, said the new camp, which was opened in coordination with local authorities and South Sudan's Commission for Refugee Affairs, will ensure refugee access to quality services.

"Our aim is to ensure that refugees access to quality services according to international standards, but our long-term strategy is to provide them with the tools and means that enable them to become more self-reliant and less dependent on humanitarian assistance," Okoth-Obbo said.

"This means boosting education, investing in agriculture and skill development opportunities," he said of the new camp.

The statement said UNHCR and partners have so far demarcated 5,000 family plots, built a primary school and a health care center.

Drinking water is available through a sun-powered water pumping system and teachers are on site to start classes as soon as the school term resumes.

UNHCR carried a vanguard of 30 refugees from Yida settlement to the new camp last Tuesday. Thousands more are scheduled to relocate by the end of the year. Endit