FIGHTING IN Sudan is rapidly worsening an already dire humanitarian situation in neighbouring countries for children and families according to charities and non-government organisations working in the region.

UN officials returning from a border town in Central African Republic (CAR) say that nearly 10,000 people have crossed over from Sudan so far and that they expect thousands more to come.

Shelter

While some have found shelter with local families, others have been forced to set up impromptu camps near the town of Am Dafok.  However, as the rainy season begins in CAR this month conditions there are far from ideal.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed concern about the spread of disease, particularly malaria. And it says the shortage of food supplies has increased the risks of a range of illnesses linked to malnutrition.

“We are already starting to take care of the sick, at least in relation to this. We are trying to see if we can provide mosquito nets so that people can at least protect themselves against malaria,” said Gervais Tengomo, a WHO  emergencies officer.

Epidemic

“We are also intensifying surveillance to be able to quickly detect a possible epidemic and to be able to control it as quickly as possible,” he added.

Meanwhile, Oxfam is supporting the humanitarian response for Sudanese refugees who have crossed the border to South Sudan.

This is a snowballing tragedy. People fleeing the conflict in Sudan are in urgent need of assistance but they are arriving into countries already facing humanitarian crises

Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director

Approximately  30,000 people have settled in the country’s Renk and Raban counties. Others have fled to Chad’s Sila region.

According to Oxfam workers at the borders, thousands of refugees are currently staying in transit centres under makeshift tents without access to safe drinking water or adequate sanitation facilities. Efforts are being made to relocate these thousands of people to nearby cities like Juba as the numbers of refugees is too large for them to be housed in tents for very long. 

Severe

The situation in neighbouring countries was extremely severe even before the violence in Sudan broke out. Due to internal conflict, climate change, and population relocation, more than half the people of South Sudan (9.4 million people) and the CAR (3.4 million people) are at risk of hunger and need immediate aid. 

In the CAR alone the cost of basic commodities like sugar and millet has risen sharply due to major disruptions in transportation and trade.

“This is a snowballing tragedy. People fleeing the conflict in Sudan are in urgent need of assistance but they are arriving into countries already facing humanitarian crises, straining already stretched resources,” said Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director. 

Last month UNICEF said that the hostilities are also causing displacement and further exposing children to potential grave violations, including recruitment and use by armed groups, as well as sexual violence. 

Only 20 per cent of UN appeals for South Sudan, CAR, and Chad have been met to date, despite the region’s dire humanitarian needs. 

Donors are being urged to make up the shortfall in UN financing so that aid groups can respond in Sudan and in surrounding countries that are taking in refugees.