Following the recent formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU), it is expected that many more internally displaced People (IDPs) and refugees will return to South Sudan. However, two decades of conflict have left the region ill equipped to cater for the needs of such a vulnerable group.
As many articles on this website have highlighted, IDPs, in particular, remain vulnerable for many reasons; not least by the lack of international law classifying their rights and the duties of governments towards them. They also tend to have little or no support from family or community often being separated from them, or in many cases, losing them altogether.
The situation in South Sudan is particularly severe as there is little or no infrastructure available to meet the needs of the returning population. The UN recently highlighted the security concerns regarding the safety of IDPs. In particular, the UN have cited the presence of armed militia and landmines as threats to the safety of IDPs.
In addition to the security issues, returnees will also face problems related to the capacity of local government and civil society to accommodate them and meet their needs. For example, mass migration can often put a strain on local education, health and housing resources.
It is estimated that there are around 4 million IDPs as a result of the civil war that has consumed Sudan for much of the last 50 years. Many of these are expected to return to the south now a peace has been agreed, although the pace of the movement is uncertain.
Graham Wood, Head of Policy at Ockenden International, who has observed Sudan closely for the past 20 years, has argued that most people will seek to return over time.
Wood said, "following the last peace agreement in Sudan in 1982 the majority of displaced southerners did return. It may be that demands for services will be higher now, delaying some returns. But we expect significant numbers to make the journey on their own or with assistance from the humanitarian community
"The way in which this happens and the nature of the response of the south to increasing demands for schools, hospitals and jobs may well determine the ultimate success of the peace agreement," Wood added.
To assist in understanding this process, Ockenden is conducting research about existing return, and the attitudes and responses to it, in and around Maridi in Western Equatoria.