Southern Sudan: Returnees attacked on their way south
| Publisher | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC) |
| Publication Date | 11 February 2011 |
| Cite as | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC), Southern Sudan: Returnees attacked on their way south, 11 February 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4d58ee762.html [accessed 24 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
IDPs travelling to Southern Sudan before and after the recent referendum on independence have faced difficulties during and after their journey. Between November 2010 and January 2011, around 200,000 Southern Sudanese IDPs living in the north returned to the south. There have been various reports of convoys of returning southerners being attacked in the disputed region of Abyei during and in the weeks following the January referendum, according to some reports by Misseriya tribal militias loyal to the government in Khartoum.
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OCHA has anticipated a greater need for assistance in urban areas and those rural counties to which more people have returned. A higher number of returnees than expected are choosing to remain in urban areas including Kwajok and Aweil, largely due to the better services they offer and their similarity to IDPs' environment in the north. In rural counties to which significant numbers are returning, there are few existing services and returnees and host communities are struggling to ensure food security and to establish livelihoods.
The Southern Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC), IOM and partners are monitoring, consolidating and verifying the number of returnees, including those who have returned without assistance, to ensure they are assisted as necessary.
See also: IDMC Sudan country page
