Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Warsi (Conservative) on Wednesday, 19 December 2012.

South Sudan

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the continued conflict across the borders of South Sudan; and whether there has been an increase in (1) the number of refugees, (2) the number of conflict-related injuries, and (3) detected cases of serious illness such as meningitis.[HL4086]

Answer: We remain concerned by the ongoing conflicts in Sudan’s border areas, which are having a serious effect on the area’s inhabitants. According to the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, over the last four weeks there has been an increase in numbers of refugees crossing the border into South Sudan, with 2,800 new refugees registered in Yida refugee camp between 26 November and 2 December. Due to a continued lack of access to the conflict areas, there are no reliable estimates of the number of conflict-related injuries. We are aware of an outbreak of hepatitis E in the Maban refugee camp in September, which is being addressed by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. We continue to press the Sudanese Government and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North to agree a cessation of hostilities and allow full humanitarian access.

Secondary information