New York, March 17 (SANA) – Nearly 100,000 people have fled from South Sudan into Ethiopia, according to UNICEF, which said the displacement followed an earlier order by the South Sudanese army to evacuate the opposition-held town of Akobo.
UNICEF warned that conditions for children in Jonglei State are deteriorating as violence intensifies, noting that malnutrition rates among displaced children are alarmingly high.
The agency added that Akobo, near the Ethiopian border, is currently hosting an estimated 270,000 people, including vulnerable groups, displaced families and host communities dependent on humanitarian assistance, with women and children making up more than half of the population.
The latest displacement comes amid broader humanitarian strain in South Sudan. The International Organization for Migration had warned in February that severe funding shortages were putting the lives of more than 1.9 million displaced people in the country at risk.
Kh.A
