More civilians flee conflict in former WES

The UN Refugee Agency has warned that insecurity in the former Western Equatoria State is forcing thousands of people to flee to neighboring countries.

There have been reports of fighting between the national army and vigilante groups in the state.

The countries include Congo, Uganda, and the Central African Republic.

The UNHCR says it aims to gain access next week to an estimated 7,000 South Sudanese refugees living in desperate conditions in the eastern part of the Central African Republic.

It says the fighting which erupted in late 2015 has also forced more than 11,000 people to cross into the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“The new arrivals, mainly women and children – nearly a third of whom are aged three or less – tell of human rights abuses, including killings, rape and forced recruitment,” UNHCR spokesperson Leo Dobbs said at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday.

“Many said they had lost husbands. Most of the new arrivals told UNHCR they were from Western Equatoria’s Ezo and Nzara counties,” he added.

Meanwhile in Uganda, UNHCR says more than 14,000 South Sudanese refugees, mostly women and children, have been registered since the start of the year.