South Sudanese refugees begin journey to Juba

The first group of South Sudanese refugees stranded for months in a camp in Sudan is on its way to the south.

About 400 people – out of a total of up to 15,000 – are being taken by bus to Khartoum from where they will be flown to the South Sudanese capital Juba. The camp residents were last month declared a security threat by the authorities, who gave them a deadline to leave Sudan. This was later dropped. They lost rights to Sudan nationality when the south seceded last year. The airlift comes a day after UN human rights chief Navi Pillay condemned Sudan’s bombing of bombing of South Sudan, carried out despite a UN resolution demanding an end to hostilities. South Sudan seceded last July as part of a deal to end years of civil war.But disputes stemming from the secession, especially over oil, led to clashes last month and fears of a return to all-out war.