Visual mission: Returnees to South Sudan

Refugees International recently returned from southern Sudan where we found that people were returning from exile to villages which are severely lacking in basic services to accommodate the numbers of returnees. In the state of Northern Bahr El Ghazal we spoke with people who had lived for decades in north Sudan and in Darfur, who were motivated to return to the south once they heard that their home areas were peaceful. They were now struggling to survive in villages without adequate access to drinking water, health services, education, food and shelter. We met with community groups who explained the difficulties they were facing, and the support they needed to enable them to reconstruct their villages and to assist with the reconciliation process.

South Sudan 2008: Not Enough Drinking Water Photo Credit: Refugees International 02/06/2008 With the return of so many people to the villages in southern Sudan, already limited resources are now stretched beyond their limits. Every community with whom the Refugees International team met told us that lack of drinking water was their number one problem. Even when there are water boreholes they are often not maintained, as communities do not have the resources for maintenance and repairs. Conflicts often break out particularly between women who are the ones collecting water and have to wait in long lines.

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Related Countries Sudan Related Issues Return & Reintegration Women & Displacement Related Missions South Sudan: Mission to Assess Progress in Areas of Return

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