South Sudan receives thousands of displaced and injured people fleeing intensified war in Sudan

“We urgently call on both South Sudanese authorities and international organisations to rapidly scale up their response in Renk and beyond, ensuring that the essential and lifesaving needs of the affected people are addressed without delay,” she says.

The two transit centres in Renk, which are designed to accommodate a maximum of 8,000 people, are now sheltering over 17,000. While most returnees and refugees initially entered South Sudan through the official Joda border crossing, an increasing number are now crossing through informal routes to the east of Renk. More than 82,000 new arrivals have been recorded in areas including Joda, Duku Duku, Jerbana, Shemmedi, Gosfami, and Atam.  

“Our village was in flames,” says Alhida Hammed, who is displaced from Sudan’s Blue Nile state and is currently under treatment for a gunshot wound at Renk County hospital. “The houses were blazing, and everyone was running in different directions. We have been displaced and now live under a tree. I have no desire to return home. Home is no longer a home—it is filled with bad memories.”