South Sudan. IDPs in Malakal load their remaining belongings onto a UNHCR van for transport to protect civilians. © UNHCR/Charlotte Hallqvist
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is alarmed by the escalation of armed conflict in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, which has displaced at least 20,000 people since August, some of whom have had to flee for their lives up to four times as the conflict continues. At least 3,000 people have already fled to neighboring Sudan, adding to South Sudan’s refugee crisis, the worst in Africa.
On August 15, 2022, armed conflict broke out in the village of Upper Nile, Tonga. Since then, the violence has spread to Upper Nile and the northern parts of Junqali and Unity states. It is currently advancing in Fashoda County, Upper Nile, threatening the town of Kodok.
“Despair is growing and more people are fleeing as the conflict deepens,” said UNHCR representative in South Sudan, Arafat Jamal. “The civilian population is being attacked in this ruthless conflict; We have to ensure their protection.”
Most of the displaced are women, girls and boys and other high-risk individuals. Some elderly or disabled people could not escape and had to hide in the bushes and along the White Nile during the attacks. The fleeing civilian population is visibly traumatized and denounces killings, injuries, gender-based violence, kidnappings, extortion, looting and arson. Many have lost their homes and been separated from their families.
Last month, Jamal led the first multi-agency visit to Adidiang village since it was attacked on September 7, forcing some 4,000 people seeking refuge there to flee to Malakal and its IDP settlement under the protection of the UN mission South Sudan (UNMISS). The center was originally set up almost 10 years ago to accommodate up to 12,000 internally displaced people, but is currently home to around 37,000 people who were already overcrowded before recent arrivals.
Survivors of the Adidiang attack reported that dozens of people were killed or injured, while others drowned in the river trying to escape the attack. Last Sunday, UNHCR led another inter-agency mission to Diel in Junqali.
“In both Adidiang and Diel, we witnessed the aftermath of brute force,” Jamal said. “It was heartbreaking to see a clear pattern of attacks on civilians and their homes.”
In Diel, north of Junqali, some of the displaced are returning to their villages and their burned-out homes. His situation is desperate. Some eat wild aquatic plants to survive.
UNHCR, along with UN and NGO partners, has scaled up efforts to provide vital support with shelter, supplies, shelter services, cash and other assistance to the most vulnerable people, including in hard-to-reach areas. By using boats to expand our mobile response capacity, UNHCR is now able to reach people faster and more easily, even in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Despite UNHCR’s support for efforts to de-escalate tensions and promote peace, the situation continues to deteriorate.
In South Sudan, 6.8 million people are in urgent need of life-saving assistance due to armed conflict, local violence, dramatic floods, increasing food insecurity and economic destabilization.
As the number of people fleeing violence increases and the need grows, UNHCR is reducing its aid in the face of severe funding constraints. By the end of November, only 46 percent of the $214.8 million needed in 2022 had been received.
For more information on this topic, please contact:
- In Yuba, Charlotte Hallqvist, [email protected]+211 925 580 098
- In Yuba, gift Friday Noah, [email protected]+211922654219
- Wn Nairobi (regional), Faith Kasina, [email protected]+254 113 427 094
- In Geneva, Boris Cheshirkov, [email protected]+41 79 433 76 82
- In New York, Kathryn Mahoney [email protected]+1 347 574 6552
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