2013 UNHCR country operations profi

2013 UNHCR country operations profile - South Sudan

Working environment

The context


A year after gaining its independence in July 2011, South Sudan confronts major political and socio-economic challenges. Efforts to transform the country into a functional State have been beset by inter-communal violence, rebellions by militia groups and localized conflicts over land and natural resources. The mass arrival of returnees from Sudan and elsewhere in Africa has added to the pressure.
The fighting that erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in Sudan's South Kordofan State in July 2011 and in Blue Nile State in September 2011 was largely due to disputes over issues left unresolved in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), especially with regard to border demarcation and oil-revenue sharing. By August 2012 the violence had driven more than 170,000 people to flee to Upper Nile and Unity states in South Sudan. It is expected that this figure will increase to 200,000 by end of 2012.
By mid-2012, the rapid arrival of many more refugees than UNHCR had expected and the onset of the rains, which caused flooding and hampered access to camps, had brought the situation to crisis level.
South Sudan's Central and Western Equatoria states have been receiving refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) fleeing attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The number of refugees in the region has remained relatively stable, at 32,000.
The Ministry of the Interior has assumed responsibility for refugee matters in South Sudan, and UNHCR is helping the ministry to build its asylum-related capacity. The Government of South Sudan remains welcoming towards refugees and is working with UNHCR on drafting regulations to support the recently passed Refugee Act.
Since the signing of the CPA in 2005, UNHCR has facilitated the return of more than 334,000 refugees from exile in the CAR, the DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. Voluntary repatriation remains the main durable solution for the remaining South Sudanese refugees. UNHCR is assisting the Government to create conditions conducive to their voluntary return and reintegration.
UNHCR and IOM co-chair the Emergency Returns Sector which supports returns from Sudan organized by the Government. UNHCR focuses on the protection of returnees, as well as the formulation and implementation of policies and standard operating procedures. It also supports the re-integration of returnees in areas of high return.
Sudan and South Sudan have yet to reach agreement on key nationality and citizenship issues. Without clear regulations on citizenship, the risk of statelessness in Sudan for South Sudanese remains high. Other populations, such as internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Darfur, nomadic groups and refugees returning from other countries are also at risk of statelessness.
To reduce this risk, UNHCR will help the Sudanese and South Sudanese authorities in drafting legislation, implementing regulations and building capacity to support documentation.
Localized conflict spurred the internal displacement of approximately 80,000 South Sudanese in Jonglei State in the first quarter of 2012, adding to the existing population of 270,000 IDPs in different parts of the country. The number of IDPs is expected to remain high in 2013, as the unstable security situation persists.
It is expected that South Sudan will ratify the 2010 African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention).
UNHCR has a close partnership with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), the main governmental counterpart mandated to manage the repatriation, relief, rehabilitation and reintegration of returnees and IDPs.
The disputed area of Abyei has been plagued by violence since May 2011. Before the fighting broke out there were some 100,000-150,000 people, including 20,000 returnees from Sudan, in Abyei. The fighting displaced most of the Dinka Ngok south of the River Kiir in Abyei into Warrap State. To meet the shift in needs in Abyei, UNHCR has redirected its priorities away from return, reintegration and stabilization towards emergency response.
The needs

South Sudan suffers from a lack of basic infrastructure and social services. More than half of the population lives in poverty, and legal frameworks and institutions to enforce the rule of law are largely underdeveloped.
UNHCR will offer the Ministry of the Interior technical expertise and logistical capacity to manage refugee affairs. A number of Sudanese and South Sudanese on both sides of the border remain in legal limbo with regards to their citizenship status pending the outcome of negotiations on citizenship laws. However, the enactment of the Nationality Law in South Sudan has reduced the risk for those living in the country.
The challenges UNHCR faces in providing assistance to the ever-growing refugee populations in Unity and Upper Nile states fleeing the violence in South Kordofan and Blue Nile are vast. Since mid-June, the onset of the rainy season and flooding have impeded access to refugee sites. UNHCR expects that the flow of refugees will continue through 2013, driven by inter-ethnic and inter-communal violence, as well as LRA attacks. Shelter and water are two of the most pressing needs, while the provision of health care, nutrition and sanitation will also need to be stepped up.