Sudan, South Sudan violence forces hundreds of thousands to flee: UN

United Nations, Feb 4: Hostilities in Sudan and South Sudan have displaced hundreds of thousands of people, UN humanitarians said.

“The continued insecurity in many regions is pushing more people to flee and deepening an already severe humanitarian situation,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday.

In Sudan’s South Kordofan state, an OCHA mission to the Abu Jubaihah locality last week found more than 10,000 displaced people living in camps facing critical gaps in food, healthcare, water and sanitation, shelter, and education services, the office said.

OCHA said that most of the newly displaced families fled insecurity and hunger in the state capital, Kadugli, and in the city of Dilling. Others came from West Kordofan and East Darfur states, and some via South Sudan, after long and dangerous journeys.

OCHA said its partners in North Darfur reported that more than 1,000 people have recently arrived in the Tawila area and families face acute shortages of food, health services and basic household items.

“We and our partners are giving hot meals through community kitchens, but more support is needed to meet other basic needs,” the office said.

“Displacement also continues in the states of East Darfur and Blue Nile.”

In South Sudan, since the end of December, renewed fighting and airstrikes in Jonglei state forced an estimated 280,000 people to flee their homes, said the office, noting that its ability to deliver critical aid remains restricted due to ongoing clashes and insecurity.

OCHA said cholera is spreading in Jonglei’s Duk County due to overcrowding in displacement sites and limited access to safe water and sanitation. The United Nations and its partners are expanding their treatment capacity and preparing vaccination campaigns, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, the office said humanitarian operations remain under serious threat. Facilities and assets, including vehicles, boats and office equipment, have been looted or damaged, and aid workers have faced intimidation, undermining response efforts.