The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Government of South Sudan on Wednesday held a meeting with the local authorities in Central Equatoria State’s Morobo County to ask for space to accommodate refugees fleeing conflict in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan.
The continuous influx of refugees and asylum seekers, especially from Sudan who were forced to flee the war which erupted on 15 April 2023, has pressured the government and UNHCR to find more areas to accommodate refugees in the greater Yei area which comprises Yei, Morobo, Lainya and Kajo-keji counties in the Central Equatorial State.
Speaking during the meeting, the Assistant Commissioner for Refugees Affairs at the South Sudan Commission for Refugees Affairs (CRA), Julius Taban, said most of the refugees in Juba prefer to be transferred to greater Yei as compared to other parts of the country.
“I am glad to hear that Morobo is peaceful and that we have refugees here. It is our role as government to do protection, so, when they (refugees) are here with you, let your offices also protect them. In Juba, we have refugees being hosted in Gorom but I think the Government of South Sudan said they do not want refugees in the capital city, which is right,” he said. “So, the government has started taking the refugees out and some of them have opted to be brought to greater Yei. Since I am still lobbying with them, and I do not know how many refugees are coming here. If any of the refugees are willing to come to Morobo or greater Yei, do you have a place where we can put them?”
Taban added: “So, this is something I wanted to inform you about so that you will be able to think about it and we hope for the best.”
For his part, Wani Bosco, the Executive Director of Morobo County, acknowledged that UNHCR has already provided great services in the county and hopes for continued cooperation.
“The health facility here was renovated through UNHCR, there is also a police gender desk which they built and they also helped in facilitating the process of issuing nationality identity cards IDs for the vulnerable citizens of Morobo County. UNHCR also provided grinding mills and irrigation machines for farmers,” he revealed, and added: “We request that they expand the services to the other payams and villages because they concentrated majorly in Morobo Centre and it is creating havoc in the community around as if the commissioner is being segregative in terms of service delivery.”
Meanwhile, Morobo County Commissioner Data Charles said having refugees in an area will improve the social and economic status of the area and that there is a need to consult the host community regarding the allocation of land.
“I have been a refugee in Uganda and you are taken to bushy places and when you are leaving, the place is already developed with hospitals, roads, and schools,” he stated. “All these things happened because of refugees and as a leader in the county, I may not answer you today, but I need to do some consultations with the owners of the land to agree on the development and I hope it becomes positive.”
Since war broke out in Sudan in April last year, more than half a million people have crossed into South Sudan using various border crossings.
Every day thousands of refugees and South Sudanese returnees arrive from Sudan, especially through Renk in Upper Nile State, and this has forced the government and humanitarian partners to seek more friendly spaces to host refugees across the country.