Blue Nile refugees flee fighting to South Sudan camp

Refugees from Sudan's Blue Nile who fled from the fighting in Kilgo have arrived in a South Sudanese camp, with more expected to arrive.

More than 20 families from the war-affected Sudanese state now reside in Kaya camp in Upper Nile. Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that they have escaped from the fighting between government forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North at Kilgo in the past week.

The refugees are mostly women and children. They arrived on foot after five days of walking. Witnesses explained that the new refugees are in bad health because they ate little food during the course of their escape.

The refugees said that there is a number of Blue Nile residents on its way to Kaya.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Kaya holds more than 24,000 people as of 31 May.

Last week the control of Kilgo, south of Ed Damazin, was disputed by the Governor of Blue Nile and the rebel SPLM-N in statements they made to the press. Reports of the arrival of paramilitary reinforcements for the Sudanese army reached this station in the same week.