About a hundred South Sudanese refugees detained at a police station in Sudan's White Nile. (-)

Dozens of South Sudanese refugees are awaiting deportation from Sudan following their arrest by the Military authorities in Kosti of the White Nile State on Wednesday.

According to the UN refugee agency – UNHCR, more than 400,000 South Sudanese refugees still live across the White Nile State, a third of whom have been forced to flee other states in Sudan due to the conflict.

This comes after over 700,000 people, 90 percent of whom are South Sudanese nationals, crossed to South Sudan since the war erupted in Khartoum in April 15, 2023.

Some of the refugees, who spoke to Eye Radio from Kosti town on Thursday, said the incident has significant humanitarian implications, especially considering the already dire conditions of the refugees.

The arrest follows allegations of crackdown on refugee youths by the Sudanese security forces on suspicion of being recruited to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Nyagath Aban, a refugee in the camp, is calling on the South Sudan government and UN agencies to facilitate their safe return to their places of origin.

“I am one of the mothers who went to visit our detained children. This problem happened yesterday, and we received news of their arrest at six o’clock in the evening,” Ms. Aban said.

“We asked to see our children, but the authorities refused our request and told us they would be detained and after being gathered, they will be deported to the southern city of Jouda on the border.”

“However, so far, they have not been deported. They are still in police custody, and we are at a loss, not knowing what to do. We used to live in the north and had fled South Sudan because of the war at that time.”

“We settled in Sudan, forced to leave our country because of the conflict. Even now, most of the youth from South Sudan living here in Sudan have no future and are restricted from moving.”

Another refugee named Chan Awok also said the arrest and deportation by the Sudanese government is against international law.

He further alleges mistreatment of South Sudanese in the refugee settlements.

“I swear to God these things that happened to our people here in White Nile are very bad. They have been dealing with us in unhuman ways which is not good completely.”

“They have been entering all the houses of South Sudanese and they have been beating us while taking us up to the police vehicles, even me I was arrested and they rounding up South Sudanese here like animals.”

On his part, Awol Deng confirmed to Eye Radio that some of the detained refugees have been accused of siding with the RSF and sentenced to deportation.

“They have been presented before the court with Judge Nazar and he is one of the harshest judges, they have been sentenced with depuration from Kosti of White Nile state.”

“They said they arrested the South Sudanese in Moya Mountain of Sinnar state during the fighting between government forces and Rapid Support Forces, and those were quasi-criminal charges for them to criminalized as, South Sudanese.”