Conflict uprooted 190,000 in S Sudan: UNHCR
Iran Press TV
Wed Jan 1, 2014 6:58PM GMT
The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says over 190, 000 people have been displaced due to more than two weeks of a bloody conflict gripping South Sudan.
On Tuesday, the UN refugee agency said deadly clashes between South Sudanese army and rebels have made over 180,000 flee their homes in the African country, while some 10,000 others have crossed into neighboring states.
The UNHCR further expressed "extreme" concern over the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, saying the agency has kept more than 200 of its staff in the troubled country to provide humanitarian aid to the people.
The report comes as heavy fighting between the government forces and rebels is picking up in South Sudan's oil-rich regions despite efforts by regional leaders to broker an immediate ceasefire.
Violence broke out in the country on December 15, 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused Riek Machar, a former vice president who was sacked in July last year, of attempting to stage a coup.
Rebels in South Sudan have reportedly seized control of the town of Bor, the capital of the restive Jonglei state. The city's mayor says Bor is now in the hands of forces loyal to rebel leader, Machar, after government troops made a tactical withdrawal.
On Tuesdays, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a statement that it counted "large numbers" of bodies, and the "atrocities are continuing to occur" across the country.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned of a growing risk of disease outbreaks in South Sudan due to the ongoing violence in the country.
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