South Sudan lobbies for donor funding amid refugee influx

By Papa Goch Biar Mawien

The minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management, Albino Akol Atak called on international donors to pay attention to the huge refugee influx stemming from fighting in neighboring Sudan.

Atak returned to Juba this week after attending the donor conference on refugees in Geneva, Switzerland.

“We have opened our doors for refugees fleeing war in neighboring Sudan; it is a great opportunity for the government of South Sudan to be portrayed in good light in the region,”  Atak told journalists in Juba.

South Sudan is currently hosting more than 400,000 returnees including about 70,000 Sudanese refugees.

 “The world has known that South Sudan is doing well in hosting refugees,” said Atak, adding that they are in need of urgent funding from donors to cater for the refugees and returnees.

Atak attended the global refugee conference accompanied with three ministers including the Chief Administrator of Ruweng Administrative Area.

He said the conference touched on issues such as shelter, food, resettlement and protection, education and health services for refugees.

South Sudan has been hosting refugees prior to the outbreak of conflict in Sudan.

United Nations agencies recently said they require 1.8 billion U.S dollars to respond to the humanitarian needs in 2024 in South Sudan.