IDPs register for land allocation in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal. (Photo: UNMISS).
The remaining 4,800 internally displaced persons at the Naivasha Camp in Western Bahr el Ghazal have started the process of reintegrating into their communities and rebuilding their lives, following assistance from the government and UN partners.
When the 2016 conflict escalated to Wau, over 30,000 people were reported to have sought refuge at Naivasha camp, which was then a UN-designated Protection of Civilians Site (POCS).
UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said on Tuesday Western Bahr El Ghazal currently enjoys relative stability and security as a result of collaborative efforts between the state government and its partners.
Improved security led to Naivasha’s re-designation as a conventional displacement camp under the sovereign control of the Government of South Sudan, UNMISS said.
South Sudan’s displacement crisis remains one of Africa’s most significant as the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that there are over 2 million IDPs in South Sudan.
A similar number has been forced into refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.
Citing International Organization for Migration (IOM), the peacekeeping mission said more than 90 percent of those displaced in the 2016 violence have voluntarily returned to their areas of origin in the state.
Around 4,800 individuals still in the IDP camp have now embarked on a “significant transition toward rebuilding their lives”, having received individual plots of land to support their reintegration into Kor Malang, Jur River county, it said.
“It has been a long journey for our internally displaced persons to achieve integration,” said Basham Musa Ayaga, Chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, in a UNMISS interview during the official plot allocation.
“The process began with the durable solutions plan in 2022, and today marks a milestone in this journey, thanks to the support of our partners,” he added.
Jur River county authorities have donated over one million square meters of land for the resettlement of displaced people, while the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) cleared this tract of potential unexploded ordnance, ensuring a safe and environmentally friendly space for returning families.
UNMISS said its military engineers from China were actively working on site development and constructing roads to improve access and mobility.
Sam Muhumure, Head of the UN Peacekeeping mission’s Field Office in Western Bahr El Ghazal, facilitating the reintegration of internally displaced persons is a crucial step in advancing UNMISS’ mandate of protecting civilians.
“We remain committed to addressing the root causes of displacement by promoting peaceful cattle migration, assisting the state government in strengthening security, and extending the rule of law and accountability in various returnee areas,” he stated.
The Mission said although the path to complete reintegration is yet to reach the conclusion, securing land is a crucial step towards recovery, resilience, and a return to normalcy.
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