Series

South Sudan refugee crisis

Alessandro Penso

The Republic of South Sudan faces considerable humanitarian challenges, which have increased substantially since the start of the conflict in December 2013. The legacy of civil war and chronic underdevelopment impact heavily on the ability of the new nation to provide basic services and respond to humanitarian needs, rendering communities vulnerable to the effects of insecurity, displacement, food shortages and outbreaks of disease.

The majority of the refugees are women and children, many of whom flee across the border alone. Often, they arrive weak and malnourished. When the rainy season comes, their needs are compounded by flooding, food shortages and disease.
Inside South Sudan, nearly two million people are displaced while outside the country there are now over two million South Sudanese refugees.

Many fear imminent attack or struggle with food insecurity. Uganda currently hosts the most South Sudanese refugees, having taken in more than one million.

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