South Sudan (RRP)

  • Current People in Need
    4.1 million
  • Current People Targeted
    4.1 million
  • Current Requirements (US$)
    $1.3 billion
People in Need at launch (Dec. 2022)
4.1 million
People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2022)
3.9 million
Requirements (US$) at launch (Dec. 2022)
1.3 billion
Type of appeal
Refugee Response Plan
Countries covered
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda
Refugees targeted
2 million
Host community members targeted
1.9 million

Analysis of the context, crisis and needs

In 2022, South Sudan remains the largest displacement crisis in Africa, with 4 million people forcibly displaced. A total of 2.3 million people live as refugees and asylum-seekers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. The South Sudanese refugee displacement is characterized by pendular movements. Between January and September 2022, the neighbouring countries received over 95,000 South Sudanese refugees. In the same period, more than 150,000 South Sudanese refugees spontaneously returned home.

The national-level conflict in South Sudan was relatively stable in 2022, but peace and security remain fragile. Widespread intercommunal violence and human rights abuses at the subnational level were endemic. There are also concerns with the slow security sector, constitutional and electoral reforms, and transitional justice. South Sudan has not had a general election since its independence in 2011. Elections were more recently rescheduled for 2024.

The DRC, Ethiopia and Sudan, which host 55 per cent of South Sudanese refugees, have delicate security and peace processes characterized by tensions, conflict and displacement. Most South Sudanese refugees and their host communities live in remote areas with limited infrastructure and inadequate access to national services. Notwithstanding, South Sudanese refugees enjoy prima facie status in the neighbouring countries and increasingly progressive refugee policies. In Uganda, the refugee policy provides for the integration of refugees in social and economic services, as does the Kenya Refugee Act.

The countries covered by the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for South Sudan are still suffering from the long-term economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased poverty, inflation, currency devaluations, and rising fuel and food commodities prices. This is being worsened by the region’s accelerating climate crisis. South Sudan has suffered four consecutive years of extreme flooding, resulting in severe food insecurity. Ethiopia and Kenya are undergoing drought-related food insecurity, set to worsen in 2023.

Through the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), the country attained a level of political stabilization, which has presented opportunities to support sustainable reintegration for those refugees choosing to return on their own. Several high-return areas have been identified as “Pockets of Hope” for further investment.

Projected situation in 2023 and beyond

The Government of South Sudan is expected to continue facilitating solutions for displaced communities by implementing the National Framework for Return, Reintegration and Relocation of Displaced Persons, and the initiative led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on durable solutions. Spontaneous returns of refugees are expected to grow, making it imperative to build on the momentum of reintegration.

However, the implementation of the R-ARCSS has been slow. It has been extended to 2025, including the general elections being pushed from 2023 to 2024. There is potential for violence and, coupled with serious food insecurity, a high possibility for ongoing refugee outflows from South Sudan, even as others may decide to return. The high numbers of South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya are likely to be sustained, yet these hosting countries are also projected to suffer increasing food insecurity into 2023. Therefore, humanitarian and development assistance will be critical to support basic services, food security and livelihoods for refugees and their hosting communities.

South Sudan Regional

Strategic objectives and sectoral priorities

The 2023 Regional RRP for South Sudan outlines the multi-agency response strategy and financial requirements of US$1.34 billion for 105 humanitarian and development actors, including civil society, to support the host governments to meet the critical needs of more than 2 million South Sudanese refugees in the five main asylum countries. The Plan also outlines assistance to over 1.9 million affected members of the host communities.

The focus of the RRP in the countries of asylum will cover the following:

  • Enhancing protection and the realization of the rights of South Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers through improved identity management, strengthened national asylum systems, and regional approaches.
  • Providing quality, efficient and timely multisectoral assistance to address the priorities and needs of South Sudanese refugees and their hosting communities through the coordinated delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance, with an increased focus on building self-reliance and resilience.
  • Promoting the inclusion of South Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers into national education, health and economic systems through strategic engagement with governments, the private sector, regional bodies and development actors. RRP partners will provide multi-agency advocacy and support to strengthen the capacity of national structures.
  • Coordinating with national and regional structures, including leveraging the IGAD Support Platform to mobilize international support for solutions from the outset of displacement and through a strengthened humanitarian-peace-development nexus.
  • Strengthening accountability to the affected populations; the prevention and mitigation of and response to gender-based violence; protection from sexual exploitation and abuse; and child protection, including birth registration.

The Plan also includes actions to mitigate the environmental impact of hosting refugees. While in-kind assistance will continue, cash assistance will be a priority modality across various sectors.

References

  1. UNHCR – Refugee returns in the EHAGL Region.
  2. The Pockets of Hope Initiative: Realizing Solutions in South Sudan https://www.unhcr.org/62b17f7a4