Turkish agency provides aid to refugees in Sudan

KHARTOUM

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has distributed humanitarian aid to 1,300 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan.

The aid was distributed to 1,300 families in a refugee camp in Kosti city, south of the capital Khartoum, Celalettin Gungenci, TIKA’s Khartoum coordinator, told Anadolu Agency on Monday.

He said dozens of refugee camps across Sudan are sheltering refugees from South Sudan.

"Sudan is home to more than 470,000 South Sudanese refugees,” he said, noting that TIKA will continue to provide assistance to refugees in the region.

Last week, the UN refugee agency reported that over 60,000 South Sudanese had fled to neighboring Sudan in the first three months of this year alone.

The UN also called on the international community to provide the necessary assistance to South Sudanese refugees who are fleeing their country in ever greater numbers amid mounting reports of famine at home.

On Feb. 20, the South Sudanese government said at least 5 million people are on the brink of famine in the country.

South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, has been grappling with violence and civil war since its inception in 2013.