Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 28th June. UN refugee agency on Tuesday said that the humanitarian needs have soared among people displaced by fighting in Sudan, with the number of people fleeing expected to surpass projections as aid access remains extremely uncertain.
Raouf Mazou, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations said “We’ve already seen over 560,000 people crossing into neighbouring countries and two million people displaced internally.”
Over half a million people have reached neighbouring countries to escape the fighting, with Egypt receiving most refugees followed by Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic, UNHCR reported.
The UN agency expects that its previous estimate of one million refugees will be surpassed.
UNHCR and other UN agencies, humanitarian partners, and host communities have increased efforts to provide emergency shelter, clean water, health care services, psychosocial support, and other vital assistance to help displaced populations inside and outside Sudan.
Mr. Mazou said host communities unaffected by the conflict until now are also “seeing the consequences”.
“All are in need of protection and assistance,” he added. “What is also quite striking, and which needs to be underlined, is how welcoming the host populations are.”
UNHCR raised particular concerns about West Darfur. Aid access is “limited” and the “wanton killings” by militia has been deplored by the UN human rights office.
According to the UN refugee agency, Chad has seen 170,000 people crossing its borders to flee the conflict.
Many women and children have arrived needing treatment for their injuries, the agency said.
Over 120,000 people crossed the border into South Sudan, where sparse infrastructure and security concerns represent significant challenges that are preventing new arrivals from moving on.
UNHCR warned that much of the assistance they need will have to be airlifted, which is both costly and complex.
The agency teams are registering new arrivals, providing emergency relief, and helping them to reach different locations as quickly as possible.
Most of the arrivals are South Sudanese, returning to their country, Mr. Mazou said.
“They are part of the 800,000 South Sudanese refugees who were in Sudan, but they are now going back,” he said.
The agency said that capacity at border reception and transit facilities in neighbouring countries have been strained by the sheer numbers of people arriving, leading to overcrowding and further stretching of already limited resources
Those fleeing Sudan are in need of food, medical care, and relief items, UNHCR reported.
UNBHCR noted that $1.52 billion in pledges were received against an appeal for $3 billion to address the current situation at a donor conference for Sudan in Geneva on 19 June,.
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