By Yiep Joseph
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Albino Akol said that renewed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) near the border worsen the humanitarian situation in Renk, Upper Nile state.
Recently the border of South Sudan saw a massive influx of people fleeing intensified clashes reportedly between the Sudanese army and RSF along the border area, especially in the Sudan Joda area bordering Upper Nile state.
Officials in Renk County, Upper Nile, said that the area received 8000 people fleeing the ongoing fighting, a move that worsened the humanitarian situation in the area.
Speaking during the handover ceremony of food assistance by the Chinese government on Monday, Minister Akol revealed that renewed clashes in Sudan and at the border particularly continue to worsen the situation.
He said that Renk is one area affected where insecurity at the border becomes an obstacle for humanitarian workers to know the actual number of people entering South Sudan.
“But nowadays you people know that there have been intensive clashes in Sudan, which made it very difficult for us to track those who are coming, especially in the entrance point of Joda (Upper Nile) because of insecurity,” Akol said.
The minister added that the number has continued to increase and overwhelmed the available resources in the area.
Akol said that most people crossing to the Renk, Upper Nile, continue to face a lot of challenges that require urgent support from the partners.
“These people are vulnerable; they are now sharing the little resources with our host community communities in all the borders, especially the upper Nile entrance point, Renk,” he said.
The minister revealed that at least 904,000 people are recorded to have crossed from Sudan to South Sudan due to conflict while other numbers are not recorded yet.
He appealed to the humanitarian agencies and partners to intervene and help those affected by conflict and flood.
“I want to take this opportunity also to call upon all the donors and humanitarian agencies in South Sudan to be ready for that and extend a hand of support to the people of South Sudan,” he said.
However, in October this year, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, announced that South Sudan is now hosting over half a million refugees across 30 locations in the country, mainly in refugee camps in Maban, Jamjang, Wedweil, and Gorom.
Fuelled by ongoing conflict in Sudan, this figure has almost doubled since 2023, underscoring the growing impact of the crisis across the region. South Sudan has received the second largest number of people fleeing Sudan, with more than 810,000 people having arrived since April 2023.
2024 has posed unprecedented challenges for South Sudan. The ongoing crisis in Sudan has severely disrupted supply routes and oil exports, raising inflation and further weakening the economy.
Prices of essentials, including food, have skyrocketed, limiting available resources in host communities and making it extremely challenging to integrate new arri