Out of the Frying Pan – Sudan’s refugees in South Sudan.
My photographs focus on the severely overcrowded transit center in Renk, where cases of malaria, acute watery diarrhea, respiratory infections, and malnutrition are rife, as well as the refugee camps in the Upper Nile State of Maban, where there is not enough medicine or supplies to cope.
This surge of arrivals is putting further strain on the country's health system, which is already overburdened. These people urgently need food, shelter, and clean water, with girls and young women particularly vulnerable. Many have traveled for days on foot without enough food and water and with only the belongings they can carry. According to the WFP, 90% of families say they are going multiple days without eating.
South Sudan has a long history of conflict with people who previously fled South Sudan to rebuild their lives, only to face having to do so again. More than 80% of arrivals in South Sudan are returnees who have fled multiple times.
The UN’s Regional Refugee Response Plan is only 35% funded, and over $140m is required to meet the scale of need in South Sudan and neighboring countries. Despite the crisis worsening, humanitarian organizations are having to downscale or end projects altogether. For example, the World Food Programme is being forced to cut their projects by almost a half in 2024. Funding is also vital to increase the transportation of families to settlements for displaced people to prevent serious overcrowding and the spread of cholera.