Over 20,000 individuals who have recently returned to the disputed Abyei administrative area, situated between Sudan and South Sudan, urgently require humanitarian aid, according to the region’s chief administrator.
The returnees, who fled conflict in Sudan, are spread across various villages and Abyei town, facing critical circumstances after deadly clashes during the weekend.
Over the course of Saturday and Sunday, armed youth groups from Warrap State in South Sudan launched attacks on Abyei, resulting in the loss of at least 52 lives, including two UN peacekeepers.
The UN’s Interim Security Force (Unisfa) in Abyei is currently providing limited food assistance to those displaced by the violence who have sought refuge within its base. However, this assistance is deemed insufficient for the sustained needs of the affected population.
Chief Administrator Chol Deng Alak conveyed the complexity of the situation in Abyei, citing a surge in the population over the past two years due to insecurity, preventing cultivation.
The recent influx of returnees from Sudan has further escalated the area’s population, exacerbating the challenges. Mr. Alak emphasized the dire conditions faced by the returnees, underscoring the necessity for immediate intervention by humanitarian agencies.
Speaking from Abyei on Thursday, Mr. Alak revealed that a delegation from the UN’s humanitarian agency, alongside other international organizations, is expected to arrive on Friday to assess the urgent needs of the affected population.
The ongoing dispute over the status of the oil-rich Abyei area between Sudan and South Sudan remains unresolved, currently governed by a temporary ‘special administrative’ arrangement between the two countries.
