Simon Ngbagida, Bangasu Payam Administrator in Yambio County, speaks during an interview with Eye Radio on Friday, October 25, 2024. — Credit: Charles Wote/Eye Radio

Authorities in Bangasu, Yambio County, have called on the national government and UNHCR to urgently address the needs of 500 newly arrived Sudanese refugees who were recently airlifted from Renk to Yambio.

Located about 45 kilometres from Bangasu Payam along the Yambio–Maridi road, Makpandu Refugee Camp serves as a refuge for thousands of displaced individuals.

The camp hosts refugees from several neighbouring countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and Sudan.

Last month, over 500 Sudanese refugees were airlifted to Western Equatoria by the Commission for Refugee Affairs and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, after entering South Sudan via Renk in Upper Nile State.

On Friday, October 25, Simon Ngbagida shared with Eye Radio that the refugees camped in his Payam are urgently in need of food, shelter, and medical assistance. He detailed the daily complaints his office receives from these new arrivals.

“The Sudanese refugees who have been brought from Renk to Makpandu have been coming to my office every day that they don’t have food, they don’t have enough medicine for their children, the shelter where they are sleeping is not favourable for them,” Ngbagida told Eye Radio.

“The UNHCR and CRA (Commission for Refugee Affairs) have swept their office there and are based in Yambio town so now they don’t know where to go,” he said.

“They come and gather in my office and the distribution site every morning with all their children saying that they want to go back,” he stated.

“They say the situation here is not favourable to them because they were convinced to come to Yambio county, Western Equatoria,” he said.

The local government officer went on to appeal to the Commission for Refugee Affairs and UNHCR to ensure the needs of the new Sudanese refugees were addressed as soon as possible.

“My appeal to UNHCR and Commission for Refugee Affairs is that let them supply these people with enough food, let them bring medicine for these people,” said Ngbagida.

“They know all the services that are supposed to be for the refugees, let them do it as they are in the act because as local government personnel,” he said.

“I don’t know much about the refugee affairs but they know it, let them do it as they know it,” he added.

“If the UNHCR and CRA fail to intervene or to supply these people with food and medicine or to meet their demand, they may strike,” he said.

“I don’t know but they are ready to react. They will react maybe negatively that will give burden to the host community,” he explained.