Over 5,000 returnees receive national identity cards

JUBA – Over 5,300 South Sudanese returnees have received National Identity Cards with support from a joint EU/UNHCR partnership in four counties (Yei River, Lainya, Kajo-Keji, and Morobo) in the former Greater Yei of Central Equatoria State.

According to UNHCR, more than 17,400 South Sudanese have received National Identity Cards under the joint EU/UNHCR partnership since the start of the year.

The initiative targets South Sudanese returning from refugee status in other countries, as well as individuals at risk of statelessness throughout the country. Efforts have concentrated on areas with high numbers of returning refugees from neighboring countries, particularly in Central Equatoria in the counties of Morobo, Lainya, Yei, and Kajo-Keji.

The issuance of ID cards provides South Sudanese citizens returning to their country with legal identification, which is an essential first step to access rights and services.

It opens new avenues for employment, financial inclusion, and access to education. By providing local communities and returnees with official identification, this initiative supports their integration, socio-economic advancement, and stability.

Speaking during the distribution of nationality certificates to beneficiaries on Wednesday in Yei River County, the European Union Ambassador to South Sudan, Mr. Timo Olkkonen, expressed his gratitude to UNHCR and the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport, and Immigration for their efforts in facilitating this process and ensuring that civil documentation is accessible to marginalized and vulnerable populations in towns and even remote villages across Central Equatoria.

“It is a fundamental right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations. It ensures state recognition and facilitates access to essential services such as legal protection and opportunities provided by the state. More importantly, it plays a key role in nation-building,” he said.

He emphasized that a nationality document ensures recognition by the state and facilitates access to essential services and opportunities where these are available. Above all, it plays a crucial role in building a united nation.

“I thank UNHCR and the Government of South Sudan for these achievements, and I call on the Government to continue its efforts to guarantee the rights of citizenship to all who are entitled to it.”

He also added that the EU is committed to promoting integration, building resilience, and addressing the risk of statelessness in South Sudan.

This accomplishment underscores the EU’s commitment to enhancing services across key sectors such as civil documentation, education, health, and livelihoods for internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and host communities throughout South Sudan.

The United Nations Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Raouf Mazou, stated that these certificates pave the way for sustainable inclusion, enabling individuals to access employment, financial services, and education.

He added that providing official identification not only promotes socio-economic advancement but also strengthens community stability.

“Thanks to excellent collaboration with the Central Equatorial State and its counties, as well as with the Directorate for General Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport, and Immigration, 5,300 nationality certificates have been issued in the state alone, contributing to a total of 17,402 certificates issued across South Sudan in 2024. South Sudan faces significant challenges in providing nationality documentation, particularly in areas with a high concentration of returnees and internally displaced persons.”

He noted that ongoing conflicts, displacement, and inadequate infrastructure, especially at the state level, have constrained the government’s capacity to issue civil documentation.

The Director General of the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport, and Immigration (DCRNPI), Maj. Gen. Simon Majur, highlighted the government’s dedication to enhancing access to civil documentation.

“Having a National Identity Card empowers returnees and displaced communities to access essential services such as education, healthcare, social protection, and formal employment. We are committed to expanding access to civil documentation to support reintegration and national development,” Mr. Majur said.

“I’m really proud that the EU is supporting this project, facilitating thousands of South Sudanese in obtaining their national identity documents because the national identity document is so much more than just a bureaucratic exercise.”