By Bida Elly David
The acting minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Deng Dau Deng said the government of South Sudan has not got definite statistics of South Sudanese casualties and those injured in the raging Sudan gun violence that started on April 15.
He made the statement yesterday during a joint government media briefing at the office of the president about the Sudan conflict.
He however stated that the embassy of South Sudan has been directed to gather information concerning the impact of the war on its nationals in Sudan.
The overall death toll in Sudan’s fighting according to UN report is over 450 which might be inclusive of South Sudanese.
“There are South Sudanese who have died and we have not kept definite figures. Some families have lost their loved ones in the hospitals after being shot as a result of the war. We have not got a definite figure where we will be able to avail it to anybody when it is necessary,” Dau said
He noted that different categories of South Sudanese including Students are battling hectic situation as majority lost hope in staying in the devastated Khartoum under starving conditions and lack of medication.
“The Sudanese who have died in Khartoum together with others are 450. One of the reasons we have directed our embassy is to get the information of people who are wounded, people who might have lost their lives and people who are vulnerable” he stated.
Minister Dau encourage “our people to use the available means and avoid areas of risks and we ask people not to panic and not to rush” adding “they should choose correct rout for them to be able to come to South Sudan.”
The South Sudan government however said it is concerned with the life of its citizens and has laid a plan to ensure that all are repatriated back to the Country.
Dau said that despite efforts made by the government to get the accurate statistics of the total death toll of South Sudanese, much focused has been rendered to ensure means of mobility to students back to the Country.
“The Category of the students is very large starting from primary schools to Universities. About 26 students from Hafat University managed to escape, arrived Jordan and were facilitated. We have talked to our ministry of higher education as well as the embassy so that these largest students are facilitated” he said
Meanwhile, Albino Akol Atak the minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management underscored his docket’s readiness to deliver humanitarian assistance to the refugees and the returnees coming back to South Sudan with the help of partners.
He said that with the greater influx, there is need to create recepti0n centers and stations to ease their accommodating.
Minister Albino added that the government through his ministry has laid a strategy to use different modes of transportation such as the river, air and land to evaluate the citizens from Sudan.
He applauded partners especially the refugee commission as well as other humanitarian organizations for having involved in the exercise of evacuating war-trapped populations.