South Sudan is facing an “absolutely staggering” influx of refugees from war-torn Sudan, as well as a rapidly spreading cholera epidemic, the international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Monday. TASR reports this according to an AFP report.
MSF said up to 5,000 people cross the border into South Sudan every day. The United Nations (UN) estimated a higher number some time ago, namely 7,000 to 10,000 people a day.
Sudan is suffering from one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. In this African country, since 2023, war has been raging between the army led by the country’s de facto leader, General Abdal Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF), led by Burhan’s one-time deputy, Muhammad Hamdán Daklou. Tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been displaced as a result of the war.
Emanuele Montobbio, MSF’s emergency coordinator in the town of Renk, near the transit center, which the UN says is home to around 17,000 people, says they are working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide care.
“But the situation is absolutely overwhelming and it is not enough,” he said. Facilities are being expanded, he said, but “more than 100 injured patients, many of whom have serious injuries, are still waiting for surgery.”
Thousands of people are fleeing the war
South Sudan is not sufficiently equipped for the arrival of thousands of people fleeing the war, writes AFP. The country itself struggles with violence, poverty and natural disasters. Many South Sudanese live in camps for internally displaced people and are experiencing an “alarming and rapid increase” in cholera cases, according to MSF.
MSF added that as a result of the epidemic, 92 people have died in Unity state, also known as West Upper Nile, and in the city of Bentiu, doctors have treated more than 1,210 people in the past four weeks. Dozens of deaths were also reported from sprawling camps near the capital city of Juba.
“What we are witnessing is not just a cholera outbreak, it is the result of systemic neglect,” said Mamman Mustapha, MSF’s head of mission in South Sudan. He added that without immediate action, the number of cholera cases is likely to rise sharply in the coming days and weeks. .
