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By Godfrey Olukya 12-5-201
Over 17,000 refugees in South Sudan are being relocated from flooded refugee Jamam camp located in Upper Nile State to new sites with better facilities.
The relocation is being done by International organazation of immigration IOM. The relocation has been made necessary due to floods that hit Jamam refugees camp destroying refugees’s property including killing domestic animals.
According to IOM, relocation operations began on 6 May and are expected to continue for the next seven to eight weeks. A total of 1,210 individuals and their luggage had been moved as of 8th May. It is expected that an average of 600 persons will be transported per day.
IOM is providing nine trucks to assist with the relocation of the estimated 17,000 residents of Jamam camp. IOM staff have also been deployed to coordinate the truck fleet and liaise with humanitarian partners.
South Sudan’s rainy season brings widespread flooding, cutting off road and sometimes air access throughout the country. With the rainy season now beginning, there is an urgent need to move refugees out of camps like Jamam that are prone to flooding.
The Jamam camp residents are being transported to a new site called Kaya, which has the potential to host up to 35,000 people. Kaya is roughly 35km from Jamam and is situated in an area that is less prone to flooding.
IOM has been assisting refugees in Upper Nile State since December 2011, providing safe access to clean water and sanitation to the 45,000 refugees located in the neighboring camps of Doro.
IOM is seeking funding support through the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) in order to maintain its response at current levels. It has appealed for USD 13.9 million in 2013 to maintain its provision of transport and water, sanitation a
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