As instability and violence persist in the world’s newest country, the number of South Sudanese seeking safety and shelter in neighbouring countries has crossed the one million mark, the United Nations refugee agency said today.

“Most of those fleeing South Sudan are women and children,” Leo Dobbs, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told the press at a regular briefing held at the UN Office at Geneva.

“They include survivors of violent attacks, sexual assault, children that have been separated from their parents or travelled alone, the disabled, the elderly and people in need of urgent medical care,” he added, noting that more than 185,000 people fled the country since
fresh violence violence erupted in capital, Juba, in early July, just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the country’s independence.

According to the agency, with this sombre milestone, South Sudan is now the fourth country in the world with more than one million refugees. The other three are Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia.

In terms of numbers, Uganda (373,626) accounts for the largest share of South Sudanese refugees. More than a third of them arrived since the most recent violence broke out. Ethiopia (292,000) and Sudan (247,317) are the second and third largest hosts to people fleeing South Sudan.

Smaller numbers have also fled to Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR), since July. About 300 people a week have been crossing into Kenya, which now has over 90,000 South Sudanese refugees. Some 40,000 refugees are estimated in DRC.

Disruptions to markets are worsening food insecurity in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan. Photo: FAO

The UNHCR spokesperson further reported that the new arrivals spoke of increased fighting and attacks by armed groups that kill civilians, loot villages, sexually assault women and girls, and recruit young boys.

“Many refugees arrive exhausted after days walking in the bush and going without food or water. Many children have lost one or both of their parents, some forced to become primary caregivers to younger siblings,” he noted.

Challenges hampering humanitarian response

At the briefing today, Mr. Dobbs also said that the recent violence was a major setback to peace efforts in the country, including a short-lived peace deal between supporters of President Salva Kiir and former First Vice President Riek Machar. The long-standing political rivalry between the two initially erupted into full blown conflict in late 2013.

“The fighting has shattered hopes for a real breakthrough and triggered new waves of displacement and suffering,” he added and said that humanitarian organizations are finding it very difficult to provide urgent protection and assistance to the hundreds of thousands in need, including 1.61 million internally displaced people, due to logistical, security and funding reasons.

As for the situation on the ground, he reported that according to UNHCR field staff, new arrivals are camped in schools and churches, but many have to sleep in the open.

Refugees also lack food and basic household items and earlier this month refuges near the city of Doruma, (in DRC’s Haut-Uele province) were attacked by unknown assailants. They had their food rations stolen and health centre was also looted.

He also reported that insecurity in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria province has significantly affected the UN agency’s ability to access and assist thousands of refugees inside the country itself.

“Without further funding and support, we and our partners will struggle to assist the needy with even the most basic assistance,” said the UNHCR spokesperson, calling on donors to provide $701 million for South Sudan refugee operations, of which 20 per cent has been funded.