South Sudanese community leaders urged to help displaced return home

Record ID: 103422

  • Title: South Sudanese community leaders urged to help displaced return home
  • Date: 15th May 2016
  • Summary: JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN (FILE) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** RIEK MACHAR, SOUTH SUDAN FIRST VICE PRESIDENT AND SALVA KIIR, SOUTH SUDAN PRESIDENT SHAKING HANDS MACHAR AND KIIR WALKING AND GETTING SEATED
  • Embargoed: 30th May 2016 11:01
  • Keywords: Conflict war vulnerable People displacement food hunger
  • Location: JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
  • City: JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
  • Country: South Sudan
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0034HX3GPH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Almost 20,000 displaced people have left United Nations camps since the end of 2015, officials say, but more need to move on.
    Over 180,000 people remain at Protection of Civilian sites (POCs) across the country but are being encouraged to return home as officials struggle to cope with their needs.
    "You cannot live a dignified life in a POC site. So it is important that religious leaders, political leaders as well as the traditional leaders keep on talking to their people so that they understand that they have a contribution to make," said Sam Muhumure, Senior Co-ordination Officer for Relief, Reintegrate and Protection (RRP).
    Conditions in the camp are far from ideal - people having to contend with increasingly wet conditions as the rainy season begins in the country.
    The U.N. World Food Programme has warned that up to 5.3 million people in South Sudan may face a severe food shortages over the March to September lean season, double the number in the first three months of the year.
    From January to March, 2.8 million people were classified as being in "crisis" or an "emergency" food situation, with about 40,000 thought to be suffering from an outright famine.
    The increased hunger comes despite attempts to end more than two years of war, which began in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir sacked his first vice president Riek Machar, triggering ethnically charged violence.
    Some fighting continues, but Kiir was able to choose a new cabinet in late April this year, including former rebels and members of the opposition, after Machar returned to Juba and took back his former role.
    "South Sudanese must tighten their belts very strongly. You have a transitional government in place. Everybody should accompany and support the transitional government to do what it is expected to do and you also as individuals, as families, as community groups have a contribution to make in order to ensure that people can get out of displacement and live dignified lives," added Muhumure.
    The conflict, which erupted barely two years after South Sudan's independence in 2011 has torn apart the world's youngest country.
    At least 50,000 people have been killed and over 11 million people have been left without enough food.
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