South Sudan Hosts Nearly 560,000 Refugees, Asylum Seekers: UNHCR

JUBA, Xinhua: South Sudan is currently hosting 559,615 refugees and asylum seekers across 142,432 households, settled in 29 locations across the country as of April, the United Nations refugee agency said on Monday.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the total number comprises 555,814 registered refugees and 3,801 asylum seekers.

“The vast majority, 527,951 individuals, are Sudanese refugees, followed by populations from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Central African Republic, and other nationalities,” the UNHCR said in its latest report released in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

As for the asylum-seeker population, Ethiopians, who account for 34 percent, and Eritreans, who form 35.1 percent, make the biggest groups, followed by Ugandans, Burundians, and Congolese, said the UNHCR.

South Sudan continues to grant temporary refugee status to those fleeing neighboring Sudan due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since December 2023.

According to the UN refugee agency, 51 percent of refugees are women, while 78 percent are women and children combined.