Juba, Oct 11 (IANS): The United Nations refugee agency announced on Friday that the number of refugees displaced by conflict in neighboring Sudan has surged to 500,000 across various locations in Maban, Jamjang, Wedweil, and Gorom of South Sudan.

Marie-Helene Verney, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in South Sudan, said this figure has nearly doubled since last year, highlighting the escalating impact of the crisis in the region.

Verney stressed that South Sudan has received the second-largest number of people fleeing Sudan, with more than 810,000 individuals arriving since conflict erupted in Sudan in mid-April 2023.

"The refugee population in South Sudan has almost doubled in less than 18 months, and we expect worse to come; the conflict in Sudan is hitting South Sudan harder than any other country in the region and adds to the immense challenges the nation is facing," she said in a statement in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Verney said the UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations are at the forefront of the response and are urging others to join efforts to help South Sudan integrate the hundreds of thousands of new arrivals.

"It is clear, however, that the only solution is the end of the conflict in Sudan. South Sudan is reeling from the shock and cannot continue to absorb so much suffering," she said, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the UNHCR, more than half of all refugees in South Sudan are currently hosted in Maban County, while another 135,000 refugees are in the Ruweng Administrative Area.

However, an increasing number of new arrivals are choosing to settle in urban areas, presenting both opportunities and challenges for integration within local economies and communities, the UNHCR said.

The ongoing crisis in Sudan has severely disrupted supply routes and oil exports, resulting in skyrocketing inflation and further weakening South Sudan's economy. Prices of essential goods, including food, have soared, limiting resources available to host communities and making it extremely difficult to integrate newcomers.

The UNHCR assured that it is collaborating with South Sudan's relevant agencies and partners to continue supporting new arrivals and host communities. In addition to addressing immediate needs such as water, shelter, and medical care, the UNHCR is advocating for long-term solutions for refugees and asylum seekers, including access to identity documentation, livelihood opportunities, and integration into national systems such as health and education.

The agency lamented a significant shortfall in funding to fully meet the needs of those affected, noting that as of October, its activities in South Sudan were only 47 percent funded. It appealed for increased donor support to enhance the humanitarian response.

Before April 2023, South Sudan was already home to 275,000 refugees, primarily from Sudan, many of whom had arrived over a decade ago. This critical milestone occurs amid an internal displacement crisis affecting approximately 2 million South Sudanese, with three-quarters of the total population in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.