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30k South Sudanese refugees reach Sudan in first months of 2017
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27 February - 2017 JUBA / KHARTOUM Half of the expected number of refugees from South Sudan for 2017 have already arrived in the first two months of the year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported. More than 31,000 South Sudanese have fled the country because of starvation and unrest. The biggest indication of a food crisis in the country is the famine in parts of Unity state. The nation has declared that 100,000 people faced starvation and another million were on the brink of famine, which was officially announced by the Government of South Sudan and the United Nations on the 20th of this month.
Initial estimates show that over 80 percent of the new arrivals in Sudan are women and children, including unaccompanied and separated children. They are in need of immediate life-saving assistance, which the UNHCR and aid agencies are trying to address. “We are extremely concerned at people’s condition when they arrive, especially children who are suffering the most,” stated UNHCR’s Representative, Noriko Yoshida.
At the entry points in Sudan, new refugees are transported to sites where they can receive food, access to water, and shelter. Yoshida: “What I witness in Sudan is a very generous welcome by local people for South Sudanese refugees. They have shared everything they have, even when they have little to offer.”
More than three years of conflict have disrupted farming, destroyed food stores and forced people to flee recurring attacks. UNHCR said since the war erupted nearly 330,000 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Sudan.
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Sudan pardons Czech Christian activist, co-accused remain in prison
28 February - 2017 KHARTOUM The Sudanese president's recent decision to pardon a Czech activist has shed light on the case of his co-accused, who are now serving a 12-year sentence in a Khartoum prison.
The Czech Foreign Minister, visiting Khartoum, had requested the release of Christian activist Petr Jašek from his life sentence in a Sudanese prison, on charges of espionage. President Omar Al Bashir issued the pardon on Sunday. Jašek had been in prison for a month after a case that dragged on for nearly two years. Jašek has left Sudan accompanied by the Czech minister.
His two co-accused, Rev. Hassan Abdelrahim Kodi, and Darfuri student and activist Abdelmunim Abdelmoula, were each sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and will remain in Kober Prison. Their lawyer told Radio Dabanga on Monday that he expects the Khartoum appeal court to write-off the complaint against them.
The court case against the men started after their involvement in fundraising for a Darfuri student. Petr Jašek's donation was at the center of the case with the Sudanese intelligence service claiming that it was meant to support rebel movements in South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur. Earlier this month the Government of the United Kingdom expressed its deep concern about the lengthy convictions of the three Christians. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in January claimed that the Sudanese government cracked down on the men because of their faith.
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