Fighting since June 2011 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the armed opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army North (SPLM/A-N), has forced over 20,000 people from Southern Kordofan to seek refuge in Yida, Nyeel and Pariang refugee camps in Unity State, while over 90,000 people from Blue Nile are in Doro and Jammam refugee camps in Upper Nile State. The Sudanese government has blocked humanitarian assistance to the SPLM/A-N controlled areas, depriving the population from receiving aid.
This report focuses on the human rights and humanitarian situation faced by the refugees, including concerns around protection from sexual violence and other human rights abuses, food and water shortages, access to education, the presence of armed elements in the camps and unlawful arrest and imprisonment of refugees. The situation is complicated by the unresolved status of Yida refugee camp, which has not formally been recognized by UNHCR because of concerns it is too close to the volatile border between Sudan and South Sudan. As tensions between Sudan and South Sudan heighten it is essential that the needs of the refugees are met as an urgent priority.
