21 March 2014 - Amid ongoing attacks sparked by food shortages between locals and refugees in an area of South Sudan's volatile Upper Nile State, the UN refugee agency today expressed grave concern about new tensions rising in the region.

“Local residents (in Maban County) are now demanding that some 60,000 refugees in Yusuf Batil and Gendrassa camps leave within two months,” Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told journalists in Geneva. She added that hostilities had also spread to Doro and Kaya camps.

Stressing that UNHCR was working with authorities and humanitarian agencies to diffuse tensions, competition for natural resources had recently boiled over into “tit-for-tat” attacks, she said.

The fighting over firewood, grass and grazing land had forced up to 8,000 refugees to flee Yusuf Batil camp, Ms. Lejeune-Kaba said.

“Houses, tents and granaries belonging to refugees and villagers alike were set on fire during the fighting,” she added. “Although refugees have since returned to the camp, tensions persist. Maban residents living near Yusuf Batil camp have fled, citing fear of further confrontation with refugees who outnumber them.”

Since armed conflict between government and rebel forces broke out in South Sudan in mid-December, instability and conflict in the region have disrupted planting and harvesting, according to UNHCR. At the same time, insecurity along transportation routes has hampered delivery of food and other humanitarian supplies.

During the first week of March, refugees across Maban's four camps received a 10-day ration of pulses and oil. Pulses and oil cover only 24 per cent of the daily energy needs of 2,100 kcal. Shortages have left them without cereals and salt for several weeks. In addition, some key non-food items, including fuel and medicine, are running out.

“There is a need to ensure adequate supplies are in place before the onset of the rains or else all deliveries will have to be undertaken by air,” stressed Ms. Lejeune-Kaba.

Maban County hosts 125,000 Sudanese refugees from Blue Nile. A third of the refugee population is made up of small children, pregnant and lactating women, elderly and disabled people and the chronically ill. And they are the ones most vulnerable to malnutrition, says UNHCR.

The Governments of South Sudan and Ethiopia have agreed to allow humanitarian supplies through Gambella, Ethiopia, which will enable the UN World Food Programme to dispatch much needed food commodities for internally displaced people and refugees in Maban in coming days.

The Government had made land available for two new camps in Gambella – Leitchuor camp opened in mid-January and Kule in late February. But Leitchuor, with 30,000 people, has exceeded its capacity, and Kule is fast approaching its limit of 20,000.