JUBA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency, on Friday launched an urgent appeal for 6.5 million U.S. dollars to resume its life-saving transport services for thousands of displaced people in South Sudan.
The IOM's Onward Transport Assistance (OTA) program serves as a crucial lifeline for individuals undertaking long and perilous journeys as a result of Sudan's ongoing war. The program enables people to travel safely and with dignity from border entry points to destinations of their choice within South Sudan. However, it was suspended on June 1 due to severe funding shortages.
"The people arriving in South Sudan have already endured unimaginable trauma-conflict, displacement, and profound loss," IOM Director General Amy Pope said in a statement released in Juba, the country's capital.
The suspension of OTA operations has put further strain on host communities, increased the risk of tensions and disease outbreaks, and limited access to already scarce resources such as water, health services, land, and livelihood, she noted.
"We cannot allow financial constraints to determine whether people live with dignity or languish in desperation. The time to act is now. This lifeline must be restored -- urgently," Pope added.
Currently, the IOM said, only one bus and one truck depart daily from the Joda border crossing to Renk -- far below the capacity needed to address the scale of the crisis.
IOM operates OTA through a multi-modal transport network utilizing barges, buses, and aircraft, depending on the security and accessibility of specific routes. Travel from border regions such as Renk to locations like Wau, Juba, or Bentiu can take more than five days.
Since May 2023, IOM has supported over 570,000 new arrivals in South Sudan with transport from entry points to transit centers, and facilitated onward travel for more than 250,000 people to their final destinations.
The need for this service is more urgent than ever, IOM said, as Sudanese continue to flee conflict zones and arrive in South Sudan's fragile northern regions.
Nearly 1.2 million people have crossed into South Sudan since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023. South Sudan continues to maintain an open-door policy for those escaping the violence, the IOM said. ■