South Sudanese President Salva Kiir asked the international community on Thursday to help his country host thousands of refugees who have fled neighboring Sudan since a conflict broke out there in April.
"I’m appealing to the international community to avail resources to help refugees and displaced persons who cross into South Sudan," he said in an address to the UN General Assembly in New York.
The armed conflict erupted between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has displaced over 7 million people internally since mid-April, while over 1 million have fled abroad, mostly to the neighboring countries, the UN refugee agency estimated in early September.
The South Sudanese leader also called on the UN Security Council to lift an arms embargo imposed on the country in 2018. He said the ban was hampering security arrangements, while the influx of refugees was putting a strain on border communities.