Press release
Juba, South Sudan — More than 5,000 refugees
are now living in the Ajoung Thok camp in Unity State six months after
the site opened, announced the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Ajoung Thok
camp was established with the aim of decongesting the overcrowded and
insecure
Yida settlement.
With the arrival on 20 September of last of the three weekly
relocation convoys from Yida refugee site, the population of Ajoung Thok
stood at 5,024. Some 140 refugees moved from Yida to Ajoung Thok
between 11 and 14 September.
The Yida settlement is considered unsuitable for refugees due to its
proximity to a militarized and contested border. Since Ajoung Thok
opened in March this year, refugees in Yida have been encouraged to move
to the new site where services, such as schools and medical clinics,
are available. Former residents of the
Yida settlement now account for nearly half - 48 per cent - of Ajoung
Thok's population. Others living in the new camp include refugees who
recently fled fighting in Sudan's South Kordofan State and proceeded
directly to Ajoung Thok as well as those who came from the Nyeel and
Pariang camps, which have now closed.
The Yida site was spontaneously established in 2011 by refugees
fleeing conflict in Sudan. Since its creation, the government, UNHCR and
other humanitarian partners have been encouraging its residents to move
to more secure areas. The Ajoung Thok camp was designed to provide an
environment where protection could be more effectively delivered. The
camp can accommodate up to 20,000 refugees.
SOURCE Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in South Sudan
