More than 100,000 are believed to have fled back to South Sudan

– This is the most tragic place I’ve ever seen. It’s a severe crisis, says Charlotte Halqvist of Sweden, who works with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on the border with Sudan.

Charlotte Halqvist, who came to South Sudan a year ago, says the country is affected by several overlapping crises. It is climate-related disasters – persistent floods and droughts – that in turn lead to food shortages and local conflicts.

It is now believed that the crisis is in the neighboring country to the north exacerbation of the already severe crisis in which the country finds itself.

Not only are more than a hundred thousand people who fled South Sudan now forced to flee again; In fact, the northern parts of the country – where the situation is more difficult – depend almost entirely on food deliveries that pass through Sudan. The infrastructure is not suitable for delivery from the south.

If the crisis in Sudan worsens, South Sudan faces a situation where more people need humanitarian assistance – and where their transportation is blocked.

– If we now see such an unplanned influx of refugees, we are very concerned about how it will affect these areas, says UNHCR’s Charlotte Halqvist.

The refugee agency is planning to There will be 125,000 South Sudanese refugees returning, and 45,000 Sudanese refugees.

When the TT arrives in Charlotte Halqvist, it will soon begin the six-hour drive to the Rink border crossing, where the majority of South Sudanese refugees are believed to return.

So far, 6,000 people are registered in the small town, 80 miles south of Sudan’s capital Khartoum – where a large-scale armed conflict broke out on Saturday 15 April. It is believed that many of them walked large sections of the road.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the actual number is likely to be much higher, and is expected to rise to more than one hundred thousand. Tens of thousands of people are believed to have crossed the border without being registered.

– 800,000 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan. A quarter of them are in Khartoum and find themselves in the middle of the conflict.

UNHCR is now prioritizing the transfer of refugees back into the country.

– What we’re seeing now is that many are making their way to areas that have already been hit hard, says Charlotte Halqvist.

The refugee crisis in South Sudan is the largest in Africa.