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UN PhotoSOUTH SUDAN / RENK SECURITY SITUATION
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / RENK SECURITY SITUATION
TRT: 03:15
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 23 AUGUST 2024, RENK, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Wide shot, Aerial, Renk Refugee Transit Camp
2. Moving shot, IDP shelters on the roadside
3. Wide shot, Road in Renk
4. Med shot, UNMISS Force Commander coming from helicopter and greeting Renk Commander
5. Med shot, UNMISS Force Commander greeting Renk officers
6. SOUNDBITE(English) Bathurs Ongo Nyikaig, Sudanese Refugee:
“I come from Sudan, Blue Nile, but I’m here because in Sudan they are fighting and everything there is finished. We come in South Sudan here because we need the help. We need peace. We need for everyone to stop the fighting there and then we are sitting here but we do not have money.”
7. Zoom Out, UNHCR Compound sign
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Akock Jol Achiek, Renk County Commissioner:
“There are two communities that came here after the war broke out in Sudan, one is refugees, and the other are returnees. For returnees, they came here seeking ways to go to their destination, to Wau, to Aweil, to Juba, to Yambio and even to Malakal. Now, when they come here, they are given assistance for seven days or two weeks before they are taken to their last destination. Now, there is a delay from the partners, they will delay, when they delay, they will pay salaries and then their own transportation will be facilitated. For those that need to stay in Renk county, they must come officially come to the authorities and ask for land and they will be given land, they will be given help if they want to stay, there is no problem.”
9. Wide shot, aerial, UNMISS Renk Temporary Operating Base
10. Med shot, UN APC guarding perimeter
11. Wide shot, UNMISS Perimeter and area outside
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, United Nations Mission In South Sudan (UNMISS) Force Commander:
“If the rains pick up, then the condition of people in our transit center and in the refugee camps and in the IDP camps will become far more adverse than what it is right now. When the misery keeps increasing and the numbers of people coming from Sudan keeps increasing, there will come a point when there will be serious costs for security concerns which is what we are trying to prepare in advance for.
13. Med shot, Returnee organizing wares for sale.
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Deng, South Sudanese Returnee:
“We fear a lot of trouble, you know, and even the soldiers, they led us to be afraid, that we should leave there and come here, that’s all.”
15. Various shots, Returnee organizing wares for sale
Since fighting erupted in Sudan in April 2023, more than 780,000 refugees and returnees have fled across the border to South Sudan. Humanitarians are working hard to meet the escalating needs of those who have sought sanctuary in the town of Renk as well as to relocate returnees who want to join family in other parts of the country. United Nations peacekeepers deployed to a temporary base in the area are helping to ensure the safe delivery of aid, provide protection, and deter violence among diverse communities forced to live together in congested conditions.
During a visit to Renk, the UNMISS Force Commander described the situation as a “cocktail” of challenges, which is only likely to be exacerbated by the fresh threat of looming extraordinary floods.
The Town Of Renk, In Northern Upper Nile, Has Always Been A Bustling Hub For Trade Between Sudan And South Sudan. But, Today, The Traffic Is Mostly People, And It’s All One Way. More Than 780,000 People Have Fled Across The Southern Border From The Fighting That Erupted In Sudan In April 2023, Seeking Sanctuary In Renk Or Gradually Being Relocated To Join Family In Other Parts Of The Country.
Bathurs Ongo Nyikaig Is Among Those Living In A Transit Camp After Losing Family Members, His Home, And Livelihood In Sudan.
SOUNDBITE (English) Bathurs Ongo Nyikaig, Sudanese Refugee:
“I come from Sudan, Blue Nile, but I’m here because in Sudan they are fighting and everything there is finished. We come in South Sudan here because we need the help. We need peace. We need for everyone to stop the fighting there and then we are sitting here but we do not have money.”
Humanitarians are working tirelessly to meet the escalating needs despite funding already being stretched to breaking point. State authorities acknowledge the support from international partners but say more is needed to prevent a slide into a deeper crisis.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Akock Jol Achiek, Renk County Commissioner:
“There are two communities that came here after the war broke out in Sudan, one is refugees, and the other are returnees. For returnees, they came here seeking ways to go to their destination, to Wau, to Aweil, to Juba, to Yambio and even to Malakal. Now, when they come here, they are given assistance for seven days or two weeks before they are taken to their last destination. Now, there is a delay from the partners, they will delay, when they delay, they will pay salaries and then their own transportation will be facilitated. For those that need to stay in Renk county, they must come officially come to the authorities and ask for land and they will be given land, they will be given help if they want to stay, there is no problem.”
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has 100 peacekeepers deployed in Renk to help ensure the safe delivery of aid, provide protection, and deter violence between diverse communities forced to live together in congested conditions. They now face a fresh threat of extraordinary flooding, which could trigger conflict over already scarce resources.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, United Nations Mission In South Sudan (UNMISS) Force Commander:
“If the rains pick up, then the condition of people in our transit center and in the refugee camps and in the IDP camps will become far more adverse than what it is right now. When the misery keeps increasing and the numbers of people coming from Sudan keeps increasing, there will come a point when there will be serious costs for security concerns which is what we are trying to prepare in advance for.
Returnee Stephen Deng Escaped the Crisis in Sudan in June.
SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Deng, South Sudanese Returnee:
“We fear a lot of trouble, you know, and even the soldiers, they led us to be afraid, that we should leave there and come here, that’s all.”
Scraping together an income selling pots and pans in the transit camp, he says there is a critical need for more food, water, and shelter. But his greatest hope is that schools to reopen so that he can achieve his dream of being a doctor, and not only survive, but thrive.
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