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At least 36,000 South Sudanese displaced in Juba since Friday, UN says

At least 36,000 South Sudanese displaced in Juba since Friday, UN says

South Sudan

At least 36,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in South Sudan’s capital since Friday’s deadly clashes between loyalist forces and former rebels.

The UN said on Tuesday that the figure is likely to evolve due to the volatility of the situation.

“The latest fighting since Friday has displaced 36,000 people in and around Juba,” the spokesperson for the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Vanessa Huguenin, said.

These people – mostly women and children – have fled the fighting and sought refuge in the civilian protection sites of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and in other places of the capital, according to OCHA.

“It is essential that civilians are allowed to move freely to seek refuge and humanitarian personnel protected for immediate, safe and unhindered access to the people who need help,” the UN office indicated.

“The humanitarian situation is grave and the needs are immense. Heavy rains in parts of Juba have worsened the situation,” OCHA further emphasized.

On the ground, the ceasefire declared yesterday by the two rival camps was adhered to in Juba on Tuesday morning.

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