1.3 million South Sudanese returned home since 2018: UNHCR

May 9, 2024 (JUBA) – At least 1.3 million South Sudanese refugees have spontaneously returned home since the signing of a revitalized peace agreement in 2018, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said.

The agency, on Wednesday, said it verified the return of 45,429 South Sudanese, citing the rise in insecurity in the country of asylum such as Sudan.

The report also highlights food insecurity, including the reduction of a food ration, and a lack of employment and livelihood opportunities key factors for the return of South Sudanese.

UNHCR said the majority  returnees came from Sudan and Ethiopia in March.

As of March 31, the UNHCR reported 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees in the region, which includes Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Since the conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Foces (RSF) broke out on April 15, 2023, around 15,000 fatalities have been recorded, while the number of people displaced inside and outside of Sudan has reached 8.2 million, according to recent estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

(ST)