Africa News
UN: Nearly 130,000 have fled Sudanese border conflict
Feb 10, 2012, 12:16 GMT
Johannesburg - More than 129,200 people have fled fighting in Sudan's Blue Nile and South Kordofan states since June 2011, the United Nations agency for refugees (UNHCR) said Friday.
The refugees had largely fled to the newly independent South Sudan or neighbouring Ethiopia, although the UN said those nations were struggling to cope with the inflows.
The conflict along the border kicked off last year, just before the south formally gained its sovereignty from the north.
Sudan's army has been fighting the northern wing of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement - the ruling party of South Sudan.
'Aid agencies are concerned that food insecurity in parts of South Kordofan and Blue Nile could reach emergency levels early this year,' UNHCR said, noting that the UN lacked access to the two regions.
The UN expected the number of refugees to increase to 185,000 this year, and issued an appeal to donors for 144.9 million dollars for humanitarian assistance.
Khartoum and Juba, despite agreeing on the split, have yet to resolve several key issues, including the sharing of oil wealth and debt responsibilities and demarcating the border between the two nations.
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