South Sudan refugees flock to Ethiopia

South Sudan Refugees are pouring into Ethiopia following the capture of Nasir town by government forces, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees said.  UNHCR on Tuesday reported a sharp increase in refugees fleeing South Sudan’s conflict to Ethiopia, after government forces captured the rebel stronghold of Nasir in the Greater Upper Nile region at the weekend.

Over the last three days, the agency said more than 11,000 South Sudanese had crossed into the Ethiopian town of Burubiey, a small remote community on the shores of the Baro River, the border between the two countries.  According to Adrian Edwards, UNHCR spokesman, “The refugees tell us that more people are on their way, with many amassed on the South Sudanese side of the border waiting to cross the river on one of the few small ferry boats.”

The UN refugee agency said the newly arrived refugees are all ethnic Nuers. It also said thousands more are fleeing Nasir, some 30 km from the border.  The UNHCR spokesman also said, “The vast majority of new arrivals are women and children although an increasing number of men are now also fleeing.”

More than 110,000 refugees have fled South Sudan to Ethiopia since the outbreak of violence last December, and most of them are staying in four camps, in Ethiopia’s western Gambella Regional State, run by UNHCR and Ethiopian government.  Reports indicate that the battles continued around the dusty northern town of Bentiu, capital of the oil-producing Unity state, four days after government troops moved to wrest back control.

The war has claimed thousands of lives, with at least 1.3 million people forced to flee their homes, many living in appalling conditions in overstretched UN bases and in fear of ethnic violence.  UNHCR said the inter-agency appeal for the South Sudanese Refugee Emergency remains dramatically underfunded, with only 14 per cent of the requested US$370 million appeal received.

“As the number of displaced people continues to rise, we expect to increase our appeal in the coming days,” Adrian Edwards said.  So far the ceasefire signed between the two warring parties earlier this year has not become effective in stopping the war. Stop-start peace talks in Ethiopia have yet to forge an agreement on even the basic agenda, despite warnings from the UN that the conflict threatens famine and genocide.