UN: Over 60 000 have fled South Sudan since latest fighting

About 60 000 people have fled South Sudan since fighting broke out between rival army factions almost four weeks ago, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday.
About 52 000 people have gone to Uganda, 7 000 to Sudan and 1 000 to Kenya, the agency said.
In all, almost 900 000 South Sudanese have left their country since civil war broke out in December 2013, the UN said. The country had about 11 million residents at the time.
A peace deal reached a year ago has been repeatedly threatened by fighting.
People fleeing South Sudan’s latest violence, which erupted in the capital, Juba, have reported being turned back by armed groups on the road to Uganda.
“At the beginning, we did hear reports that the government was very reluctant to have people leave the country and was hindering people from doing so. Now that seems to be less of the case,” UN refugee agency spokesperson Melissa Fleming told reporters, adding that other armed groups are involved.
“But definitely it’s very difficult to leave without some cash to pay whoever is asking for it at the checkpoints,” she said.