Ruweng: Thousands of returnees face dire humanitarian crisis

PARIENG, NOV. 7, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – At least 2480 South Sudanese who fled the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan and have arrived in Ruweng Administrative Area (GPAA), as local senior government official has said.

Speaking to Sudans Post yesterday, the Chairperson of Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) of Ruweng Administrative Area Gabriel Gach said influx of returnees has placed a significant strain on the resources of Parieng town, the administrative capital Ruweng Administrative Area.

“We have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of returnees, with 456 households and an additional 2,480 individuals arriving in Parieng and Abiemnom towns,” he said.

“These individuals are facing dire circumstances and are in urgent need of basic necessities such as food and shelter,” he emphasized, highlighting the urgent need for a measles vaccination campaign to protect vulnerable children from the highly contagious disease.

Awen John, a resident of the Ruweng Administrative Area who has been providing assistance to the returnees, corroborated the gravity of their situation, emphasizing the lack of adequate food and shelter in the town.

“People started arriving in May without food or shelter. Life is difficult. Imagine the arduous journey all the way home from a war zone only to be left exposed to the elements,” she lamented.

“We, the host community, are also suffering as the people who received the returnees because they are here without essential supplies. We reached out to the IOM at the beginning of July, as we have relatives among the returnees who fled the conflict in Sudan,” she added.

Following the outbreak of war in Sudan in April, thousands of South Sudanese who had fled conflict back home have been forced to return to South Sudan. Families have faced problems ranging from lack of shelter to scarcity of food and safe drinking water.