The US Ambassador to South Sudan Michael J. Adler - Eye Radio/ Stephen Omiri

The US Ambassador to South Sudan says he spoke with the Humanitarian Minister and underscored the importance of transitional government funding to meet the needs of returnees and refugees from Sudan.

Ambassador Michael J. Adler said his conversation with Minister Albino Atak focused on the urgent needs of the returnees and refugees.

“Our conversation focused on the urgent issue of addressing the humanitarian needs of the returnees and refugees who have crossed the border into South Sudan from Sudan,” said Ambassador on the state-own TV, SSBC Tuesday.

According to him, he “outlined the continued US support for the returnees and refugees and underscored the importance of transitional government funding to meet the needs as well.”

Tuesday’s discussion came as South Sudan has so far received more than 230 thousand returnees and refugees from Sudan since April.

The majority of the new arrivals come via the Jouda entry point in Renk County of Upper Nile State.

On his part, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Albino Atak acknowledged the US government as one of the donors that continues to extend helping hands to the people of South Sudan.

But he emphasized the need for joint efforts between the government and partners to respond to the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict in Sudan.

“I expressed the importance of us joining hands together with the international community to help our people because these humanitarian needs are growing as long as the conflict in Sudan is continuing,

I have raised to the US ambassador our appeal to the international community and donors which the US is one of those  extending hands of donations to the people of South Sudan,

“So that as the government and partners we can have a sufficient response to the crisis that is created by the conflict in Sudan.”

The almost fifth -month 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 hundreds of thousands displaced.