The operational and political environment in South Sudan remains complex and unpredictable impacting displacement patterns. The government has maintained an open-door policy for refugees, with prima facie for Sudanese, Ethiopian Anuaks and Congolese. The signed Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) in 2018 provided a general sense of stability and allowed humanitarian workers’ increased access except for a few areas throughout 2019. UNHCR has reaffirmed its no-return policy (updated in April 2015) until the security, rule of law and human rights situation in South Sudan has improved to permit a safe and dignified return of South Sudanese refugees. UNHCR has also reiterated that states must uphold the voluntary character of returns as provided for under national and international refuge law and that protection for refugees from South Sudan must continue to be safeguarded.
Since the outbreak of conflict in December 2013, almost 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced with 2.2 million refugees in one of the six surrounding countries and 1.46 million internally displaced. South Sudan remains Africa’s largest and world’s third largest refugee crisis.