UNHCR appeals for $ 96 million to support Sudanese refugees
By Kitab Unango
The United Nations Refugees’ Agency (UNCHER) is appealing for an urgent $ 96 million to respond to the growing number of daily arrivals of Sudanese refugees into South Sudan.
Speaking to the media after concluding a three-day visit to South Sudan on Wednesday, the UNCHER’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Raouf Mazou described the refugees’ condition as “unique” with more than 100 thousand including South Sudanese returnees in dire humanitarian assistance.
“What we are seeing in South Sudan is very different”, Mazou said. “The humanitarian situation in this country is very, very difficult those who are coming back are coming to a difficult situation without access to basic services.”
Mazou said if the resources needed are not realized immediately, could exacerbate South Sudan’s already catastrophic humanitarian crisis where over 60 percent of the population is in need of assistance.
“UNCHER and partners are appealing to the international community that there is an urgent need to scale up the humanitarian response to ensure South Sudan’s humanitarian crisis does not deteriorate further.”
“We are appealing for $ 96 million in South Susan to provide life-serving support for those arriving from Sudan as their number keeps increasing”, said Mazou.
Sudan which hosted over 800 thousand South Sudanese refugees descended into devastating war in mid-April, displacing more than 300 thousand to neighboring Egypt, Chad, Central Africa Republic and South Sudan.
