About 3,500 returnees have arrived in parts of Baliet County of South Sudan’s Upper Nile State since last week.
The returnees, mainly women, children, and the elderly, fled their homes in parts of the county for displaced camps in Upper Nile State’s Melut County since 2013 following the outbreak of civil war in the country.
“I arrived this afternoon from Dentima Camp in Melut. Now, I am in the Riangnom area. We are happy that we are back home after seven years. My only appeal is that we want to be assisted with cooking utensils, food items, and shelter because we are empty-handed,” Omjuma Thon, a returnee said.
Another returnee Chol Deng, said, “We are thankful to the government and its partners for facilitating our return. And as we are in peace, I am calling on those still at the camps to return home and resettle.”
Nyuop Thon, also a returnee, urged the government and aid agencies operating in the country to provide them food, shelter, and agricultural tools so that they will be able to rebuild their livelihoods while resettling as the rainy season approaches.
For his part, Moses Acuil, Baliet County commissioner, said they received more than 3,000 returnees from parts of Melut since April 8, and that the repatriation process is still ongoing.
“As the county and partners, our target is to voluntarily repatriate 6,000 returnees. So far, we resettled 3,500 people from Dentima Camp in the areas of Riangnom, Baliet, and Adong. And this week, we will repatriate 2,500 from Khor Adar Camp,” he explained.
The county official pointed out that they are engaging aid agencies so that the returnees are supported with food, non-food items, and health care services.