South Sudanese who fled Sudan fighting arrive in Raja town, Western Bahr el Ghazal State, on Thursday, May 11, 2023. (Radio Tamazuj)

Authorities in Raja County of Western Bahr el Ghazal State say returnees fleeing the conflict in Sudan have abandoned the shortest route between Southern Darfur and Raja due to the robbery incidents by Sudanese bandits.

The new arrivals are now using the road via Aweil in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, according to the press secretary of the Raja County.

This comes a week after some South Sudanese citizens said they were robbed by armed men on the Sudan border side.

About 45 were returning from the Zamzum refugee camp in El Dein town of Eastern Darfur on Wednesday when they were robbed in the Shabkat area of Eastern Darfur by 15 armed men at gunpoint.

After the attacks, Gismallah Hassan Dahia said the returnees changed to using the long route via Aweil for fear of their lives.

” Those returnees have abandoned the route of El Dien to Raja due to frequent robberies,

“Three days ago they used Aweil route due to the fear of armed men on the road because there are a lot of robbery activities and even women are searched till their underwear –  beaten and humiliated badly by those armed me,” he said

The county spokesperson they asked  the national government to provide security to returnees from Sudan to Raja County.

“We raised these issues to the national government, because those who are there in Nimir and El Dien camps in Darfur want to come back willingly,” because he said “The situation of the Sudanese refugees is really very bad due to lack of shelters and it’s raining.”  

Up to last month, more than 800,000 South Sudanese refugees lived in Sudan.

Since the fighting erupted in Khartoum, the UN has registered more than 70,000 people crossing into South Sudan, 90% of them South Sudanese.