JUBA, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Aid agencies operating in South Sudan on Thursday appealed for funding to support rising humanitarian needs due to the ongoing military clashes in neighboring Sudan.
Despite efforts by the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the border areas to keep track of the people entering South Sudan in dire need of assistance, the agencies expressed worries that the number is already over 50,000 and more people are arriving than agencies are projecting.
"We appeal to donors to support NGOs to assist those fleeing the crisis in Sudan, including vulnerable women and children. Please, support the NGOs' efforts to save lives and alleviate the suffering of persons looking for safety," South Sudan NGO Forum Secretariat Director Cissy Kagaba said in a statement issued in the South Sudanese capital of Juba.
The agencies said the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen as more people flee the fighting in Sudan, with several thousand individuals, mainly returnees and refugees, crossing over to South Sudanese border areas.
They expressed fears that the crisis in Sudan is likely to exacerbate the worrying humanitarian situation where an estimated 9.4 million people in South Sudan, including 2.2 million women, 4.9 million children, and 337,000 refugees, are projected to need humanitarian assistance and protection services.
The agencies appealed to donors and all the relevant stakeholders to provide support for humanitarian agencies to respond to the needs of the individuals arriving daily and to mitigate a likely humanitarian catastrophe.
"The NGOs in South Sudan welcomed the extension of ceasefire for seven days by parties to the conflict and stress pursuance of peaceful means of solving the differences," Kagaba said.
The agencies said most of the persons seeking safety are South Sudanese nationals who are expected to join their relatives in different parts of the country, which will worsen the already dire humanitarian situation with an estimated 7.8 million people likely to face a crisis or worse acute food insecurity between April and July.
"If humanitarian supplies, including food items, are not provided, this will heighten the current drivers of food insecurity, risking famine in areas where large populations are experiencing severe food insecurity," the agencies said. ■