POPULATION TRENDS
By the end of 2023, South Sudan's displacement crisis was one of Africa's most significant humanitarian situa tions, with at least 2,278,420 refugees scattered across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. Additionally, another 2.2 million individuals were internally displaced within South Sudan. Mass displacement of South Sudanese goes back more than five years with the protracted displace- ment caused by the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, characterized by generalized violence, insecurity, and inter-communal violence, in addition to adverse weather conditions, in particular flooding, plus the weak infrastructure and lack of access to livelihood opportunities, education and healthcare for the majority of the population.
The Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) of 2023 covered the five main hosting countries. Uganda hosted the largest number of South Sudanese refugees, accounting for 41 per cent of the region's South Sudanese refugee population, approximately 915,000 individuals. Sudan hosted 30 per cent of the refugees, some 706,/20 persons;
Ethiopia hosted 18.5 per cent of the refugees, some 424,550 persons; Kenya hosted 8 per cent of the refugees, approximately 173,350 individuals; and the DRC with 2.5 per cent of the refugees, some 58,800 persons.