President Kiir and UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi pose for a photo after meeting in Juba. June 21, 2024. (Photo: Office of the President).

President Salva Kiir and the head of the UN refugee agency Filippo Grandi met on Friday and discussed the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Sudan and the situation of refugees and returnees.

According to the Office of the President, Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has embarked on a visit to Sudan and South Sudan where he met displaced persons, and called for peace as millions fled continued fighting in Sudan.

His meeting with President Kiir in Juba focused on the integration of Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers into local communities, according to South Sudan humanitarian minister, Albino Akol Atak.

Akol, who addressed the media following the meeting, said Kiir expressed gratitude towards the UNHCR chief and the international community for their prompt and effective response to the Sudanese refugee crisis.

Grandi, on the other hand, stated that the meeting addressed the roles of South Sudan and international aid organizations in offering humanitarian assistance and relief support to refugees.

Since the start of the Sudan conflict in April 2023, nearly eight million people, half of them children, have fled Sudan. Around 560,000 of them have sought refuge in South Sudan, according to the UN.

Last week, Grandi, who met refugees and IDPs in Kosti of Sudan’s White Nile State, warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe that will force millions of people to flee Sudan if nothing is done to end the war.

The UN official said the level of suffering in the war-wracked country is “truly unconscionable,” adding that a terrible famine is looming and floods will hinder aid efforts.

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have recently taken control of el-Fula, the capital of West Kordofan state near South Sudan border, in a blow to the junta.