An "imminent health crisis" threatens South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia (MSF)

 Refugees who fled to Ethiopia to escape violence in South Sudan are facing an "imminent health crisis," according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which has warned of a cholera epidemic and severe acute malnutrition.

South Sudan, the world's newest country, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, experienced a devastating civil war between 2013 and 2018. A power-sharing agreement between the warring parties has allowed for a fragile truce.

However, clashes have been raging for months between the camp of President Salva Kiir and his deputy, Riek Machar, who was arrested in March.

According to MSF, between 35,000 and 85,000 South Sudanese refugees have fled to the Ethiopian town of Matar, dozens of kilometers from the border.

The NGO warned in a statement that "local infrastructure is overstretched," warning of "the risk of an imminent health crisis in light of the increase in water-related diseases such as cholera and acute watery diarrhea."

MSF said it has treated approximately 1,200 people suffering from this disease, which can have severe consequences in 10 to 20 percent of cases, with severe diarrhea and vomiting leading to accelerated dehydration.

It noted that "more than 40 percent of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria are positive, and approximately 7 percent of children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition."

The organization revealed that it had been forced to relocate some of its services on the border due to the fighting on the other side "between the South Sudanese army and an opposition group," as it described it. It said it has treated more than 200 people with "combat wounds" since the fighting began in February.

MSF called on the warring parties in South Sudan to "ensure a safe humanitarian space to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers," and appealed to donors to "intensify assistance" because "shelter, water, and medical treatment are insufficient for those fleeing horrific violence" in Matar.