Geneva - The United Nations refugee agency is reporting a sharp rise in new arrivals at
South Sudan’s largest refugee camp owing to escalating fighting in the South
Kordofan region of neighbouring Sudan.

There have been 2,100 new arrivals over the past week at the Yida camp, located
in Unity state, with over 85 per cent of them women and children, Adrian
Edwards, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), told a news briefing in Geneva.

He said that 99 children below five were identified as malnourished and are
being cared for –after being registered by UNHCR, refugees go through medical
and nutritional screening and receive an emergency food ration; they also
receive relief items such as jerry cans and kitchen sets to help them settle.

Since September, thousands of people have been prompted to flee South Kordofan
into Yida as a result of renewed fighting between Sudanese Armed Forces and the
rebel group known as the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA-North).

Mr. Edwards noted that newly arriving refugees tell UNHCR staff on the Sudanese
side of the border that more people are heading towards the border point of Jau
en route to Yida.

“People are worried about insecurity, and reaching the border is difficult. They
are moving in small groups in fear of aerial bombardment,” he said. “Based on
patterns over the past 12 months and taking into account seasonal cycles, our
current planning anticipates further refugee arrivals between now and January
due to the onset of the dry season and resumption of military activities in
South Kordofan.”

Mr. Edwards added that further surges are also possible for April and May in
Unity state and for June in Upper Nile state, and that UNHCR is preparing sites
and propositioning supplies to be ready for any influx.

As of last week, there were 175,668 Sudanese refugees in South Sudan from
fighting and insecurity in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Almost half of
these are from Blue Nile.