Refugee security concerns in South Sudan border

Heavy rain and landmines are hampering efforts to move Sudanese refugees deeper into South Sudan and away from dangerous border areas, the United Nations's refugee agency said on Friday. Fighting in southern areas of Sudan continues to drive thousands of refugees into neighbouring South Sudan.  In Unity State, between 60 and 200 Sudanese refugees have been arriving daily at Yida, in Pariang County after fleeing Sudan’s Southern Kordofan state, despite last week’s air strikes around Yida, where 23,000 people are sheltering -mainly refugees along with smaller numbers of internally displaced people and returnees. UN agencies and NGOs continue to provide services in Yida, including food, water, sanitation, basic health care and special assistance to the most vulnerable refugees.  Since the influx started in August, the UNHCR has been urging the residents of Yida camp to move further away from the unsafe border area. A site has been prepared further south in Unity State, but the refugees are reluctant to move as they are worried about family members still in Southern Kordofan and prefer to stay closer to their homes.  As well as the refugees in Unity State, South Sudan is also seeing thousands of refugees crossing from Sudan’s Blue Nile state. The UNHCR is to be monitoring the situation at the border. Some 1200 refugees are arriving every day, and between 5000 and 7000 refugees are believed be in the border area. The most vulnerable refugees are being relocated to a settlement in Doro near Bunj, the County capital, where UNHCR and partners are providing food, relief items and rapid health screening. Over 5000 have been registered so far in the settlement. UNHCR is bringing in additional relief items to cope with the influx of refugees.