South Sudan overwhelmed by influx of Sudanese refugees, MSF warns

The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan’s displacement camps has reached an alarming level as thousands of Sudanese refugees, fleeing a brutal war, endure worsening conditions and a rapidly escalating cholera outbreak.  Doctors Without Borders (MSF) issued a stark warning, on Monday, December 23, describing the situation as “totally overwhelming.”

Every day in December 2024, over 5.000 refugees have crossed into South Sudan, seeking safety from the conflict that erupted in Sudan in April 2023, according to MSF. The war, fought between the Sudanese Army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced more than 11 million people. Already plagued by persistent violence and climate-related disasters, South Sudan is struggling to cope with the massive influx of people.

“The situation is totally overwhelming and insufficient,” said Emanuele Montobbio, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Renk. The transit centers in Renk, designed to accommodate 8,000 people, are now hosting over 17,000, far exceeding their capacity. Meanwhile, more than 100 wounded refugees, many with severe injuries, remain in dire need of surgical intervention.

In makeshift settlements surrounding the camps, thousands are forced to live under trees or in improvised shelters, with little to no access to essentials such as food, clean water, medical care, and sanitation. Alhida Hammed, a refugee from Sudan’s Blue Nile region recovering from a gunshot wound at Renk hospital, shared her harrowing story: “Our village was on fire. We were displaced and are now living under a tree.”

MSF has also highlighted the alarming spread of cholera in the overcrowded camps, where the outbreak is overwhelming healthcare capacities. In Unity State alone, 92 cholera-related deaths have been reported, and MSF teams have treated over 1,210 patients in just four weeks in Bentiu, where nearly 4,000 suspected cases have been identified. Near Juba, MSF has treated about 1,700 suspected cholera cases, with local reports citing 25 fatalities.

The scale of the crisis underscores the urgent need for international intervention and additional resources to address the worsening humanitarian disaster in South Sudan.