EES Governor Luis Lobong, UNHCR Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Amb. Mohamed Affey & UNHCR Country Representative Arafat Jamal reopening the base in Torit on Friday 11th Feb. 2022. Photo: Lugala Mulai/Eye Radio

The UN refugee Agency, UNHCR has reopened a base in Torit of Eastern Equatoria State to facilitate arrivals of returnees.

The field office was shut down nine years ago following the 2013 violence.

According to UNHCR, the state has been witnessing increased return of the locals from the neighboring Uganda.

The re-establishment of the base is meant to provide the returnees with services in order to resettle into their communities.

Arafat Jamal, the UNHCR Country Representative in South Sudan spoke during the reopening of the office in Torit on Friday.

“We are doing this following the lead of the returnees themselves. They have cited the figure between one hundred to five hundred thousand people who have returned on their own”, Arafat Jamal said in Torit on Friday.

Mohamed Affey, the UNHCR Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa said the refugees are turning home because they are hopeful there will be total peace soon.

“If Eastern Equatoria and the Cities around here were full of violence people would not come back, People are returning back to their homes because there is hope for peace”, he cited.

Meanwhile, the governor of Eastern Equatoria State welcomed the reopening of the field office but requested the partners to assist those returning with basic needs.

“What is needed is our development partners to assist these people with basic necessities to resettle such that those in the camps can voluntarily return back”, Louis Lobong stated.

The reopening of the base in the area is to reinforce Humanitarian efforts in the state and boost UNHCR’s ongoing protection monitoring activities and basic assistance in areas of returns through quick impact interventions.

According to UNHCR, there are more than two million South Sudanese refugees in the neighboring countries.

UNHCR in South Sudan in Partnership with the Government’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission and NGO partners have monitored the returns of some 400,000 South Sudanese refugees in self-organized manner from neighboring countries since 2018.

The largest returns are to Eastern Equatoria 99,000, Unity State 75, 000, Central Equatoria 59, 000, Jonglei 27, 000 and Upper Nile 53,000.

In Eastern Equatorial, the highest return locations are Magwii, Torit, Lafon, Ikotos, Budi, Kapoeta North, East, and South according to the RRC, UNHCR and Humanitarian partners.

The opening of the UNHCR Office in Torit is to reinforce Humanitarian efforts in eastern Equatorial State and boost UNHCR’s ongoing protection monitoring activities and basic assistance in areas of returns through quick impact interventions.

A multi-sectoral, Area based intervention in relatively stable locations, where high returns have occurred referred to as Pockets of hope will be pursued

UNHCR through Implementing partners and in collaboration with UNMISS, humanitarian and development agencies in the state will work towards strengthening resilience and livelihoods capacities of spontaneously returning refugees, IDPs and local communities.