1000 people flee Sudan to South Sudan per day

March 27, 2024 (RENK) – Nearly one year of war in Sudan has triggered a mass exodus, with a staggering 1,000 people fleeing across the border to South Sudan every day, according to Save the Children. This unrelenting influx, totalling over 600,000 since last April, strains a region already grappling with severe hunger and its worst heatwave in four years.

“These families arrive with nothing, many having witnessed unimaginable horrors,” says Save the Children. “Children report seeing loved ones killed on their escape.”

The scorching heat adds another layer of misery. Exhausted refugees, mostly arriving by foot or donkey cart, are crammed into overcrowded trucks for a gruelling two-hour journey to Renk’s overwhelmed transit centres. Here, over 15,000 people – five times the intended capacity – face harsh conditions with limited food, water, and healthcare. Many sleep outdoors in makeshift shelters.

Their onward journey is no easier. Hundreds are packed onto barges for a two-day journey down the Nile or face a 12-hour truck ride to a refugee camp. For many, this is not their first displacement. Some fled to Sudan in 2013 when violence erupted in South Sudan.

“Despite a peace deal in 2018,” Save the Children continues, “South Sudan remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.” Even before the influx from Sudan, nearly 75% of the population needed humanitarian aid.

The influx adds further strain to limited resources. A UN appeal for $1.8 billion to support South Sudan is only 18% funded. Save the Children CEO Inger Ashing visited Renk this month and called for urgent international support.

“The situation is escalating,” Ashing said. “We need immediate funding to meet the overwhelming needs, especially for these traumatized children.”

Despite the hardship, South Sudan offers a glimmer of hope for those fleeing the war. With 1.75 million refugees, it remains the primary destination for those escaping Sudan. For these families, a life of struggle in South Sudan is preferable to the horrors of war.

Save the Children has established Child-Friendly Spaces in Renk, offering a safe haven for children to play, learn, and receive psychosocial support.