The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has suspended its onward transport assistance (OTA) program due to funding cuts. The ongoing conflict in Sudan has resulted in significant casualties and property damage, displacing thousands into South Sudan and overwhelming available resources.
This program previously assisted refugees fleeing the war in Sudan by facilitating their transportation to safer locations, including refugee camps in South Sudan, as well as supporting returnees travelling back to their hometowns within South Sudan.
IOM indicated on Friday in a report on its website that it needs $6.5 million to restart operations aimed at assisting vulnerable individuals stranded in conflict-affected areas.
"With humanitarian needs escalating and an increasing number of people escaping violence in Sudan, IOM is urgently requesting USD 6.5 million to reinstate this essential support and ensure vulnerable individuals are not left isolated," the report states.
Amy Pope, the IOM Director General, expressed that the displaced individuals arriving in South Sudan are suffering from severe trauma.
"Those coming to South Sudan have faced unimaginable hardships—conflict, displacement, and significant loss," remarked Amy Pope, Director General of IOM.
Pope emphasises that many of these vulnerable individuals are currently stuck at the Sudan-South Sudan border without any means to reach safer locations, urging immediate action.
"It is unacceptable that after facing so much, they are now abandoned at the border without the resources to reach safety or to rebuild their lives,” Pope further commented.
In April 2023, right after the outbreak of war between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan Armed Forces, around 1.2 million individuals made their way to South Sudan, as reported by the IOM.
Thirty-two per cent of these were Sudanese refugees, while 68 per cent were identified as South Sudanese returning from Sudan. By May 2023, just one month after the conflict erupted in Sudan, IOM facilitated the arrival of over 570,000 individuals to South Sudan, with more than 250,000 reportedly having reached their final destinations.
The UN Migration Agency notes that thousands continue to arrive in South Sudan each week. In April 2025, at least 85,000 individuals crossed into South Sudan, comprising both South Sudanese and Sudanese.
The organisation projects that approximately 125,000 new arrivals will be received in South Sudan in July 2025, with around 43,000 individuals requiring urgent assistance.
