Thousands flee to South Sudan amid Sudan fighting

The World Food Programme has said thousands of people have crossed the border from Sudan into South Sudan to escape the outbreak of violence there. Sudan was plunged into chaos when fighting erupted in mid-April between the country’s two top generals.

WFP says many of the more than 30,000 people to have crossed the border from Sudan are returnees originally from South Sudan.There is increasing concern for those trapped and displaced by the fighting, and aid workers and civilians have said there is a dire lack of basic services, medical care, food and water.

WFP's South Sudan Country Director says the influx of people from Sudan is putting extra pressure on available resources, with 7.4 million people in South Sudan already in need of food assistance.Famine was formally declared in parts of South Sudan in early 2017.