Nairobi, May 31 (IANS) The number of new arrivals from South Sudan since mid-December 2013 when fighting broke out between pro-government and rebel forces in Juba has reached 39,000, the UN World Food Program (WFP) has said.

Compared to other neighbouring countries, the refugee flow into Kenya has been fairly low in recent weeks, Xinhua quoted WFP as saying in its latest report Friday.

“There are however indications that the inflow will increase as transport routes become accessible following the imminent end of the rainy season,” WFP said in its regional cross border situation report.

The UN agency said the “most likely” scenario in the Regional Inter-Agency Refugee Contingency Plan projects that 100,000 new refugees from South Sudan will have arrived by the end of 2014.

Political infighting between President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Dr. Riek Machar turned into a full-fledged conflict in mid-December that has uprooted over one million people, including 75,000 and 80,000 civilians who have sought safety at UNMISS bases around the country for months since the violence began.