The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its partners need $1,5 billion – up from $1,4 billion in January – to assist and protect more than 3,3 people until the end of the year. .20 million people forced to flee the conflict in Sudan and local communities in neighboring countries. This is what we read in the new appeal published today, according to which two new countries – Libya and Uganda – have been included in the regional response to refugees, in addition to the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. In Libya, UNHCR has registered over 2023 Sudanese refugees arriving in the country since April XNUMX, and many more are estimated to have arrived in the eastern part of the country. With the continued arrival of refugees following the intensification of fighting in the Darfur region, local services available across the country are overstretched. Refugee families are forced to sleep outdoors because there is a lack of shelter. Even medical facilities are unable to keep up with the growing needs, putting children especially at risk of malnutrition.
Uganda – the African country that hosts the most refugees – has welcomed more than 39 Sudanese refugees since the start of the war. Of these, almost 27 thousand arrived this year alone, almost triple what was expected. Most of them are hosted in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement in the western part of the country, where they receive humanitarian assistance, including food, shelter and medical care. As more and more people arrive, these services continue to be limited, while there is a lack of resources to expand care. Fourteen months into the war, thousands of people continue to leave Sudan every day, fleeing brutal violence and abuse, death, disruption of services, limited access to humanitarian aid and looming famine. More than 402 thousand Sudanese refugees have been registered so far in Egypt, with over 38 thousand new arrivals in May alone and others expected in the coming months. Arrivals to Chad have increased in recent weeks following the recent escalation of fighting in El Fasher, North Darfur, and atrocities reported in Al Gezira State. Since the beginning of the conflict in April 2023, over 600 thousand Sudanese refugees have arrived in Chad. Numbers are expected to continue to rise, as many civilians become trapped or spend weeks in hiding while fleeing. At least 1.000 people a day still cross the border into South Sudan.
Neighboring countries have shown great solidarity in welcoming those fleeing war, but services in host communities remain overstretched, making it extremely difficult for refugees to find stability, earn a living and rebuild their lives. So far, UNHCR says, only 19 percent of the funds requested for the refugee response have been received, a figure grossly insufficient to cover the most basic needs of those forced to flee. The cost of inaction is having serious consequences for refugees. Food rations have been drastically reduced, leading to severe food insecurity and exacerbating harmful adaptation strategies to these shortages. In the Central African Republic, 24 thousand refugees remain without any form of humanitarian aid, while 180 thousand new arrivals in Chad are still waiting to be transferred away from the border areas. In Egypt, almost 75 thousand refugee children are not enrolled in school. South Sudan urgently needs to expand refugee camps and settlements to avoid severe overcrowding of existing facilities.
Heavy rains expected in some countries also risk complicating the delivery of humanitarian aid, particularly in border areas. As aid, essential services and opportunities remain insufficient, there is a risk that many refugees will choose to move elsewhere. Through the appeal for funds, says UNHCR, host governments will be supported to guarantee access to territory and asylum to people seeking international protection. The funds will also strengthen governments’ efforts to provide critical assistance, such as registration and identification of the most vulnerable, services for survivors of gender-based violence, mental health, food, transport, logistics, health and educational services, among others. Efforts to improve resilience through increased livelihood opportunities for forcibly displaced people and host communities in integrated settlements and return areas will be prioritized. UNHCR continues to call for greater donor support for the response. Since the start of the conflict, 10 million people have fled their homes in Sudan, many of whom have moved multiple times in search of safety. Of these, almost 2 million people arrived in neighboring countries, with 7,7 million new internally displaced persons and 220 thousand refugees who self-relocated within the country.
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