Alagaya Camp in Sudan's White Nile State. (-)

The Human Rights Commission in Upper Nile State has reported that South Sudanese refugees, prevented from leaving Sudan’s White Nile State, are facing dire conditions.

Peter Mojwok, Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission, stated that he has communicated with his counterpart in Sudan’s Jebelen to express his concern over the ongoing harassment of South Sudanese refugees in the region.

According to Mojwok, there are an estimated 200,000 South Sudanese refugees in parts of the White Nile State

He says the Sudanese army has been preventing South Sudanese who wanted to flee to their home country and subjecting them to what he terms as collective punishment.

“I visited the border areas of Joda and Jarbanan, to assess the existing humanitarian and human rights situation. The human rights situation of South Sudanese refugees is very miserable, and some camps have been closed in the face of South Sudanese,” said Mojwok.

“Those who want to leave have had some measures taken against them, as a result of some South Sudanese participating in the military operations taking place in Sudan between the two parties. There are collective punishments against the South Sudanese,” he said.

“I previously spoke with the commissioner of Al-Jabalain Locality on the basis that we, as the government of Upper Nile State, are not satisfied with the harassment that South Sudanese are exposed to in the refugee camps in Sudan.”

From her part, the Director of communication and publicity of refugee rights Watch Tahani Ajak says South Sudanese refugees in Al-Jablain are subjected to harassment, torture, and arrests.

“According to refugee eyewitnesses, they are subjected to harassment, beatings, torture, arrests, forced deportation, even murder, and disappearance during detention. All of this is carried out by the security authorities in White Nile State,” Mojwok said.

“Among the very moving and sad testimonies, two witnesses were shot with live bullets in front of the crowd in Al-Jabalain Market, during one of the crackdowns carried out by the government to pursue refugees,” he said.

“The second thing is that three refugees have disappeared inside the detention centres of the security authorities in White Nile State in Al-Jabalain Governorate.”

According to the UN refugee agency – UNHCR, more than 400,000 South Sudanese refugees still live across the White Nile State, a third of whom have been forced to flee other states in Sudan due to the conflict.