UN expects 350,000 South Sudanese refugees to cross to Sudan

The UN humanitarian office in Sudan anticipated 350,000 people from South Sudan, a scene of hostilities between government forces and rebels, to cross the borders to seek safe haven in Sudan. The office said in a statement Tuesday it prepared a plan to receive around 350,000 people from South Sudan fleeing the conflict between President Silva Kiir's government and rebels of former vice-president Riek Machar. It added that there were locations in the border States of White Nile, South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Sennar to set up refugee camps in anticipation of the influx. UN offices were already ready to receive more than 42,000 South Sudanese refugees. It noted that reports suggested that some 2,000 refugees from South Sudan have already crossed to Sudanese border areas. Representatives from South Sudan and rebels were meeting in Addis Ababa in a bid to end their fued, but negotiations were so far fruitless because the rebels insisted on releasing their prisoners first. The Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which is sponsoring the negotiations, has sent envoys to Juba to discuss the release of prisoners with President Kiir.