Speaking to Sudans Post on Saturday, Mahjub Ahmed Abakr Abdallah said the refugees arrived on different dates beginning in April when the conflict in Sudan first broke out between the army and the rebellious paramilitary.
“The war in Sudan is affecting the state (Unity State) as many people from the neighboring states in Sudan sought refuge in Unity state. The state government welcomed them and relocated some of them to Panyier refugee camp and the humanitarian organizations also provided them with food supplies,” he said.
Mahjub said the war in Sudan has affected the state, citing closure of the highway connecting South Sudan to the northern neighbor. Ahmed who is also a businessman also said that flooding, which has cut off roads connecting Unity State to Juba, has affected the economic situation in the state.
The Sudanese community leader revealed that prices have shot up in the state after four boats carrying over 300 tons of goods sunk in the river Nile while en route to Bentiu. He said the government and Sudanese traders are currently working to easy the situation by bringing in goods from Juba and Renk in Upper Nile state.
“This year, we had some incidents, and four of our boats carrying goods from Juba sank in the Nile. This cost us a lot of money. There were also shortages of maize floor but the traders, through their collective efforts, managed to bring it from Renk, Leer and Sudan,” Mahjub added.