Hundreds of returnees and refugees being ferried from Upper Nile border areas. (UNHCR/Facebook).

Nearly 500,000 people have now crossed to South Sudan after fleeing neighboring Sudan since the conflict there erupted on April 15, 2023, the UN humanitarian agency said.

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, out of the 476,000 people displaced to South Sudan, 54,505 arrived in December 2023 alone.

It said escalation in cattle-related incidents in Tonj North and Tonj East counties of Warrap State, Rumbek Centre in Lakes State, Malakal in Upper Nile State, Duk in Jonglei State, Pariang in Unity State, Pibor County in the Greater Pibor and Abyei, have hampered timely humanitarian response.

The UN agency said armed clashes between communities in Twic County of Warrap State and the Abyei Administrative Area continued, killing civilians and disrupting humanitarian assistance to people in need.

OCHA also stated that over 2,600 returnees in Pochalla County of GPAA are in dire need of humanitarian assistance including food and non-food items, citing an inter-agency rapid needs assessment.

– Bureaucratic impediments –

OCHA said it has documented 27 incidents related to humanitarian access constraints throughout the country in December – with Unity State having the highest occurrences.

It cited violence against humanitarian personnel and assets and bureaucratic access impediments were the most widespread, each with seven incidents reported, followed by five incidents of active hostilities and four incidents of operational interference.

Bureaucratic and Access Impediments (BAI) is any administrative restriction which affects the capacity of humanitarian actors to reach populations affected by cris and to effectively deliver assistance and protection.

OCHA said in three instances, airport authorities seized official and personal belongings such as cash and laptops from humanitarian staff in Koch, Unity State and in Bunj, Upper Nile State.