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More than 1.3 million people have fled Sudan for South Sudan: IOM
Well over 1.3 million mainly South Sudanese people have returned to the country after fleeing Sudan’s ongoing war, the UN migration agency, IOM, reported on Friday, amid rising violence and a massive humanitarian emergency linked to the country’s political crisis.
In an update from Juba, the agency’s Deputy Director for Operations, Ugochi Daniels, stressed that South Sudan is one of the most displacement-affected countries in the world, although the situation rarely features in the world’s media.
“Nearly 10 million people require humanitarian assistance and more than 2.3 million people are displaced within the country,” she told journalists in Geneva via video. “Over the past two months alone, over 250,000 people have been displaced and yet this has hardly been registered on the international scene.”
The development follows an alert on Monday for the people of South Sudan issued by the UN’s top aid official, Tom Fletcher. Ahead of that warning, three aid workers were killed earlier this month in Jonglei and Upper Nile states.
Fighting has been reported in both of those northeastern states between government forces and those loyal to Vice-President Riek Machar, who is on trial for treason and remains under house arrest.
The violent insecurity has severely hampered humanitarian access, with UN aid operations suspended in parts of Upper Nile and northern Jonglei states. In some case, river corridors are being used to deliver food and nutrition relief where needs are greatest.
“We have received assurances of improvements in access, but the reality is that it's fragile,” IOM’s Ms. Daniels said. “There may be access today, not access tomorrow. There’s huge impact on our operations.”
She noted that in Bentiu, the country's largest displacement site, more than 109,000 people live surrounded by floodwaters and are “increasingly exposed” to the impacts of climate change.
To counter this, IOM has supported flood mitigation efforts with the South Sudanese Government and the World Bank which have led to successful land reclamation.
This has allowed people and families to begin rebuilding flood-resistant homes and reconnecting to basic services, the IOM senior official explained.
ends
South Sudan alert - IOM
TRT: 1 min 51s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 27 FEBRUARY 2025 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Speaker:
Ugochi Daniels IOM Deputy Director for Operations (from Juba)
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide, Press room podium speakers, journalists, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ugochi Daniels IOM Deputy Director for Operations (from Juba): “South Sudan remains one of the most displacement-affected countries in the world. Nearly 10 million people require humanitarian assistance and more than 2.3 million people are displaced within the country."
- Medium-wide, Press room podium speakers, journalists, TV screen showing remote speaker.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ugochi Daniels IOM Deputy Director for Operations (from Juba): “Over the past two months alone, over 250,000 people have been displaced and yet this has hardly been registered on the international scene.”
- Wide, Press room, TV screens showing remote speaker, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ugochi Daniels IOM Deputy Director for Operations (from Juba): “We have received assurances of improvements in access, but the reality is that it's fragile. And there may be access today, not access tomorrow. There's huge impact on our operations.”
- Wide, Press room, UN Geneva, TV screens showing remote speaker.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ugochi Daniels IOM Deputy Director for Operations (from Juba): “In Bentiu, I witnessed both vulnerability and progress. It remains the country's largest displacement site with over 109,000 people living in fragile conditions, surrounded by floodwaters and increasingly exposed to the impact of climate.”
- Medium-wide, podium speakers, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Ugochi Daniels IOM Deputy Director for Operations (from Juba): “Through flood mitigation efforts undertaken with the Government and the World Bank, land has been reclaimed, allowing people and families to begin rebuilding flood-resistant homes and reconnecting to basic services.”
- Medium-wide, journalists.
- Medium, journalist.
- Wide, participants, control booths, technicians.
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