Refugees arrival from Central Africa Republic. | Photo: Gismalla Hassan.

A national lawmaker representing Raja County in Western Bahr el Ghazal State says his constituency is witnessing an influx of refugees from the Central African Republic.

Claudio Francis Omdurman told Eye Radio that over 600 refugees arrived in Deim Zubeir this week.

They are fleeing insecurity caused by rebel insurgencies in the Bambuti area of the Central African Republic.

The refugees mostly women and children reportedly trekked for several days before arriving in the border town of northwest of South Sudan.

The first arrivals were a man, his wife and their two kids who came on April 10, 2023, said the lawmaker.

“And also on date 11TH April 2023, the second batch with a big number of women, children, and men, and the total number that arrived in Deim Zubeir are now more than 630 people and they arrive there after five days walking on foot,” he added.

Omdurman said the community of Deim Zubeir provided insufficient food, water, and shelter for the refugees.

The lawmaker said they are expecting a surge in arrivals from the country’s western border in the coming days.

He is calling on the UN agencies and international relief organizations to intervene and assist the refugees.

“They have run from Central Africa in an area called Bambuti as a result of the inter-communal conflict which is happening there, we are speaking another big number of refugees coming to the area from Central Africa after five days from now.”

“We are urging the international community and regional organization to respond to this influx of the people who are coming from Central Africa.”

More than six years of civil war and sectarian violence have displaced thousands of people in the Central Africa Republic amid continuing clashes between the mainly Muslim Séléka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka militia, who are mostly Christian.

South Sudan hosts some 330,000 refugees and asylum-seekers (mainly from Sudan) and has 2 million internally displaced persons due to conflict and other factors.