South Sudan: Joint high-level humanitarian and ministerial mission visits Renk

(Juba, 2 May 2023) The Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in South Sudan and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Risk Management led a senior humanitarian country team and ministerial-level delegation to Renk in Upper Nile State on Monday. The visit was timed to review the humanitarian situation in the area, which has seen continued influx of people from Sudan to South Sudan over the past weeks. People continue to arrive across the border seeking safety and assistance. Since 16 April, over 30,300 people including South Sudanese returnees, refugees and third-country nationals have been registered moving from Sudan to South Sudan. The daily influx of population has significantly increased over the past four days, the highest number 4,264 registered on 27 April. Over 90 per cent of those arriving are moving through Joda border crossing point in Renk, Upper Nile State.

Those arriving are exhausted and very vulnerable, with limited resources to move from Renk to other places in South Sudan. Reception areas are becoming crowded. Authorities with support from humanitarian partners are exploring various options to transport South Sudanese returnees to safe locations. “It was heartbreaking to witness so many people forced to leave everything behind and flee to South Sudan seeking safety. Civilians are always the first victims of conflict, and this is unfortunately not different in Sudan. The people we met, and saw were mentally and physically exhausted from what they went through in Khartoum and on their perilous journey to safety here in South Sudan,” said Peter Van der Auweraert, Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim.

Humanitarians have scaled up to respond in Renk and other arrival points across the country where people are arriving. “The priority is, on the one hand, to respond to the urgent needs of the people arriving at the border and, on the other hand, to support and facilitate onward movement for those who do not have the resources to support themselves so as to avoid congestion and humanitarian suffering at the border. While the UN and partners are scaling up their response as quickly as they can, the situation risks remain challenging in the short-term, given the daily increase in numbers and the logistical challenges inherent to humanitarian assistance in South Sudan, especially in difficult-to-reach areas,” the Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. cautioned.

There are an estimated 9.4 million people, 76 per cent of South Sudan's population, projected to need humanitarian and/or protection assistance in 2023. Prior to this latest crisis, South Sudan has 2.2 million internally displaced persons; over 1.4 million people who identify as returnees; over 5.8 million resident population who are projected to have critical live-threatening needs and 337,000 refugees. In 2023, humanitarian partners are targeting 6.8 million people with urgent life-saving assistance and protection services. As of 2 May 2023, the Humanitarian Response Plan is reported as funded at 25 per cent.

For further information, please contact:
Susan le Roux, OIC Head of Office, leroux@un.org
Iramaku Vundru Wilfred, Reports Officer, vundru@un.org
OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org/south-sudan or www.reliefweb.int