JUBA — South Sudan is grappling with a growing influx of refugees, the majority of whom are fleeing the ongoing crisis in Sudan, according to government and African Union officials during a recent humanitarian assessment mission.
Speaking to the media after a meeting with the African Union delegates on Friday, the Deputy Commissioner for the Commission of Refugee Affairs (CRA), John Dabi, said that around 90% of refugees currently entering South Sudan are from Sudan, with numbers rising since conflict erupted on April 15, 2023.
“We have several refugees, but 90% are from Sudan,” Dabi said. “We receive them because our refugee act and policy are an open-door policy. I think that’s because we ourselves were refugees in many countries during the liberation struggle,” Dabi said.
Dabi pointed out significant challenges in accessing resources.
“The support from the African Union doesn’t come directly to us; it goes through the government system—the central bank, the finance ministry—and then we must work with partners to access the funds for projects like health centers and schools. People should not think this money is handed directly to the Commission for Refugees.”
Fred Bully, executive director of the Humanitarian Development Consortium, noted that the burden of hosting over a million displaced people is stretching South Sudan’s already limited resources.
Bully stated that the influx of refugees in South Sudan is approaching one million, which is already facing its own humanitarian challenges and now has to host nearly 600,000 additional refugees.
“This consultation is critical. We need to coordinate our responses better and advocate for more resources,” he said.
Meanwhile, the African Union delegate Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue Monono emphasized that the mission aimed not only to assess the refugee situation but also to evaluate ongoing AU-supported development projects.
“This is an AU humanitarian assessment mission,” said Monono. “We came to assess the situation of the refugees and returnees, especially those coming from Sudan, and to look at the impact of their presence on development.”
Monono confirmed that the AU had recently provided $500,000 for the construction of classrooms in the Perou area, and additional support was offered in the form of educational materials and aid to schools and settlements.
“The AU is moving from policy to action,” he stated. “We came here to fill some of the gaps, especially as other donors are pulling back.”
He stressed the importance of African-led solutions.
“We are here in solidarity,” Monono added. “The problems that South Sudan faces with refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) are problems that affect all of us as Africans.”
He warned that ongoing funding shortages threaten the ability of aid agencies to respond. “Every humanitarian partner is dealing with resource constraints. Without additional support, we won’t be able to meet the growing needs.”
