The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is calling for a reflection on the challenges and causes of displacement in the world and on the hosting situation in South Sudan.
UNHCR Senior External Relations Officer Teresa Ongaro told CRN that South Sudan is one of the biggest hosting countries in Africa receiving more 150,000 refugees from Sudan’s Blue Nile and South Kordofan states in Upper Nile and Unity States and the numbers are growing.She said South Sudan is hosting another 50,000 refugees from various countries including Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.
The UNHCR official said that many South Sudanese returning home are also facing an uncertain future.
Ms Ongaro said World Refugee Day is significant in South Sudan because it is the one of the largest hosting countries in Africa.
She said the country is facing many challenges linked to nation building, and it lacks resources and capacity to deal with such massive influx of refugees.
Ms Ongaro called on the international community to continue supporting South Sudan’s efforts to respond to the needs of refugees who sought security in the country and its people while building the nation.
UNHCR says a record 800 thousand people were forced to flee across borders last year, more than at any time since 2000.
It added that every minute eight people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror.