Thirty-three households, or 102 people, arrived on Sunday in the capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal Aweil from Khartoum. Despite difficulties on the road, the returnees “arrived in good health.”
The Chairperson of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, Deng Kuel Kuel, said that “these people traveled from Khartoum to Renk, Juba, and after that to greater Bahr el Ghazal. They are now being distributed to counties.”
Kuel said it took more than one week for the returnees to reach Aweil from Khartoum. He also noted that “although they suffered on the road due to poor conditions and long distances, the group was fortunate because they did not suffer any medical problems.”
The chairperson disclosed that the Commission is informed about the returnees’ journey as they leave so that arrangements can be made, including the vaccination of children.
Their relocation, according to Kuel, was facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Africa Inland Church. They expect another group to be repatriated soon: “We have information that there are more than 26,000 citizens from Northern Bahr el Ghazal still stranded in Khartoum,” the chairman said.
Concerning the provision of food, a representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) said it might take one month before nutriments reach Aweil, Kuel said.
“The WFP used to bring food from Dubai through Mombasa to South Sudan but it could not do so recently because of recent elections in Kenya and fears of being robbed. Instead, the route was diverted to Dar Es Salaam, via Mombasa to South Sudan, ” the chairperson explained.
He added that a representative of the WFP in the state “assured that some food would be distributed in order to fill the gap until that food is delivered.”