Highlights
US Ambassador visits Ajuong Thok with UNHCR - On 8 December, UNHCR organized a one-day field trip for the US Ambassador to South Sudan, Molly Phee, joined by a delegation of donor countries including Canada, ECHO and DFID. The aim of the visit was to enable Ambassador Phee to understand the situation of refugees fleeing South Kordofan, to appraise the impact of US contribution on refugees’ living conditions and to show solidarity with the refugees.
Congolese refugees from Ezo settlement flee to the Democratic Republic of the Congo - On 4 December, UNHCR team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported that 1,206 Congolese refugees, previously in South Sudan, have fled to the areas near the border in Dungu Territory as a result of fighting between government forces and local armed groups (also known as Arrow Boys) in Western Equatoria. Ezo settlement in South Sudan, which was originally home to nearly 3,300 Congolese refugees, is now virtually empty, with the remaining refugee families having fled to nearby fields. The Commission for Refugee Affairs in coordination with UNHCR is looking assisting refugee families who have found refuge in farm fields around Ezo and are willing to relocate to Makpandu camp.
UNHCR begins registration of Burundian asylum-seekers: In Juba, UNHCR and South Sudan’s Commission for Refugee Affairs began on 2 December the registration and profiling of Burundian nationals who have asylum in South Sudan due to the recent violence in their country. To date, a total of 143 individuals (37 females and 107 males) have been registered at UNHCR’s temporary registration centre.
UNHCR Commemorates 16 Days of Activism Against Sexual and Gender Based Violence: On 25 November UNHCR kicked off the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign with a wide range of activities in refugee camps and sites for internally displaced people across South Sudan, including dramas, processions, awareness campaigns and games. In keeping with this year's theme, Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All, the focus is on access to safe education, especially for young people.