15 June 2015 - The UN refugee agency reported today that some 14,000 South Sudanese – mainly women and children – fled into Sudan over the weekend, describing the situation as “an emergency within an emergency”.

Speaking to the press in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric noted that the new influx pushed the number of refugees the UN refugee agency had registered in Sudan to almost 160,000 since fighting broke out in South Sudan in December 2013.

A key priority for the humanitarian community in assisting refugees was to prepare for the upcoming rainy season, which was due to start in coming weeks and would further complicate operations, he said.

“Rapid scaling up of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions is critical as rains will also heighten the risk of water-borne diseases such as dysentery and cholera,” Mr. Dujarric said.

So far, only 10 per cent of the $152 million requested to assist South Sudanese refugees in Sudan has been contributed.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in South Sudan has deteriorated significantly over the past two months with the intensification of military operations in Upper Nile and Unity states, the spokesperson said.

It is estimated that by July some 4.6 million people could be severely food insecure - the highest number since the crisis began.

The security situation in South Sudan has deteriorated steadily over the past year since political in-fighting between President Salva Kiir and his former Vice-President, Riek Machar erupted in December 2013.

The hostilities turned into a full-fledged conflict that has caused more than 110,000 civilians to seek safety on UNMISS bases.