South Sudan Pledges Peace, But UN Warns Refugees Still Need Help

(Bloomberg) -- South Sudan’s leaders may have promised peace, but the United Nations is warning that may not mean a swift end to its refugee crisis, appealing for $2.7 billion for life-saving aid for the next two years.

While there’s been a “reduction in violence in parts of the country,” since September’s peace agreement, the UN Refugee Agency still doesn’t consider South Sudan safe enough for refugees to return to, spokesman Charlie Yaxley said Tuesday in Geneva.

The civil war in the world’s youngest nation may have claimed almost 400,000 lives since it erupted five years ago. More than 2.2 million South Sudanese have sought shelter in neighboring countries including Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya, while another 1.9 million are internally displaced, according to the UN.

To contact the reporter on this story: Okech Francis in Juba at fokech@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.