Civilians arriving from Sudan gathered in Renk, Upper Nile State. (Photo: Office of the Governor - NBGs).

UN agencies and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs say they will accelerate the transportation of thousands of stranded returnees along the Sudan border to their final destinations to avoid creating another humanitarian crisis.

According to the Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Peter Van Der the meeting with the minister aims to scale up the transportation of returnees who have been stranded in the counties of Renk and Paloch in the Upper Nile State.

There are 16,000 in Renk and 4,740 in Paloch.

Vander described their plight as a serious concern his office and government are facing as partners in the humanitarian field.

He says more than 1,500 people continue to arrive daily at the border point of Renk County in Upper Nile State.

Van Der appealed for more funding to continue supporting the returnees in South Sudan.

“We have discussed specifically the issues of transportation which remain a critical part of our response. Specifically from Renk and Paluch. There were some serious concerns, we were running out of money on the international sidelines,” said Van Der.

“This would have ended transportation and might have also led to humanitarian catastrophes in Renk, which has an estimated 1,500 people approaching, or arriving every day,” he said.

“If nobody can move, that would create a huge problem for me. Luckily and thanks to the joint efforts from the humanitarian partners and donors for their funds to continue the transportations.”

On his part, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Albino Atak says leaving those returnees in transit sites is creating another humanitarian crisis.

He added that the government and its partners are now focusing on the transportation of the returnees from Renk and Paloch as a priority.

“We concentrated on transportation. Nowadays this is what we are focusing on transportation as a government and partners,” said Albino.

“We believe that, as we leave these people in transit sites, of course, we are creating another humanitarian crisis. So we put transportations as one of the priority among other priorities,” he said.

“We came to brainstorm on how effectively we can accelerate the transportation of these people. Mainly for those who are coming from Renk to Malakal and Palouch respectively.”

The five months of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Force has turned Sudan’s capital Khartoum into an urban battlefield.

Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed, thousands wounded, and millions displaced.