Lainya town center | Credit | Courtesy

The local government in Lainya County in Central Equatoria State said the area has seen an influx of returnees from neighboring Uganda and DR Congo, with 13,000 people returning to their ancestral villages in the past two months.

Lainya Commissioner Robert Lasu said in an interview with Eye Radio that the massive return of civilians who fled the two cycles of South Sudan civil war is due to relative stability in the area.

Lasu said the influx began since July 2024 according to data he obtained from the local Relief and Rehabilitation Commission.

According to Mr. Lasu, the returnees – majority of whom are stationed in Wuji Payma are lacking basic necessities including food and shelter.

“There is a massive voluntarily return of our refugees from Uganda and Congo especially in Wuji Payam,” he said.

“Based on the record that I have from RRC data we have a number from July to two days’ back it is almost 13 thousand people and then we have two thousand and one hundred sixty-seven hosulsholds who vulnatraily returned back home.”

Commissioner Lasu further appealed to those still living in refugee camps in the region to return home and develop their communities.

“The only challenge facing us is lack of capacity to provide emergency assistance to those who returned including food and shelter for them to be able to sustain themselves.”