Attachments
Introduction
The South Sudan situation remains the one of the largest refugee crises in Africa with nearly 2.3 million South Sudanese refugees majority of them living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. In South Sudan, protracted conflict, environmental disasters, and outbreaks of sub-national intercommunal violence have left over two million South Sudanese displaced across all 79 counties. An estimated 75% of internally displaced persons (IDPs) are residing with host communities, whilst the remaining stay in camps or camp-like settings. Despite continued pockets of localised insecurity, more than 1.6 million South Sudanese have returned to their countries of origin since October 2018 from various countries of asylum of the region. Self-organized returns have taken place, often to areas where access to basic services is limited.
In this complex context, UNHCR seeks to better understand intentions of South Sudanese refugees on solutions in the foreseeable future. In recognition of developments within South Sudan, and within the framework of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Sudan and South Sudan Solutions Initiative, UNHCR, IGAD, and the Government of South Sudan have coordinated on the development of durable solutions strategies, which consider opportunities to support or respond to returns of refugees to South Sudan.
The Regional Bureau for East, and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes (EHAGL) region along respective Country Operations initiated a survey to map the intentions of South Sudanese refugees residing in four countries of asylum: Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. The main objective of the survey is to assess the intention of, and impediments to, refugees returning to their place of origin or habitual places of residence in their country of origin. This report seeks to outline the factors that affect the choices made by refugees in long-term displacement about returning to their home country, including when, why, and who makes these decisions. The emphasis on refugee decision-making represents an important way to comprehend the dynamics and likelihood of sustainable solutions for displaced populations. Moreover, the initiative aims at informing planning and assumptions with specific focus on durable solutions, protection, and assistance needs.
The Regional Intention Survey is part of a process to identify and inform appropriate durable solutions. Understanding the expectations and intentions of refugees can help to better integrate their needs and opinions into the voluntary return and reintegration planning process. Durable solutions approaches should be tailored to fit the profile of returning refugees and suit the complex range of circumstances within which refugees find themselves. Strategies must factor in the duration and nature of asylum, the factors that resulted in displacement, the specific needs, and capacities of the individual or community, links with the community in the place of origin, and the prevailing circumstances in the area from which they fled. This must include the security situation, socio-economic prospects, environmental and infrastructural capacity of areas of return, the capacity of national and local authorities to provide protection and assistance and the status of any humanitarian and development work in areas of return.
During the previous exercise of Regional Intention Survey conducted in 2022 for South Sudanese (and Sudanese refugees at the time), the following key objectives were identified for the qualitative research of the Intention Survey, which remain valid for this exercise:
- Identify which refugee subgroups have protection concerns in the Country of Asylum and the Country of Origin and what these concerns are, to be factored into the design of any planning for returns.
- Explore the decision-making processes of refugees, to understand their current intentions and to support predictive analysis of potential future movements beyond the next 12 months.
- Document the sources of information utilized by refugees to inform their decision-making, and identify gaps, to identify opportunities for improved information-sharing.
- Determine what type of assistance people may need in the places they go to/stay in, to help design comprehensive return interventions.
- Understand why refugees engage in pendular movements and any concerns they have that prevent them from returning permanently.
This Regional Intention Survey for South Sudanese refugees was conducted in late 2024. A previous exercise was conducted in 2022, and an older one in 2019 (for both South Sudanese and Sudanese refugees at the time). This exercise helps in ensuring community participation in planning returns, using the Age, Gender, and Diversity Mainstreaming (AGDM) framework. It aims to gather information on the protection concerns, decision-making processes, information needs and sources, support needs in the Countries of Asylum and of Origin, and the concerns of pendular movers. It also helps in identifying the expectations, needs, fears, concerns and capacities within refugee communities, possible solutions proposed by refugee communities or specific subgroups, priority needs to be addressed as expressed by refugees, and urgent follow up protection or programming actions required in both countries of asylum and origin. This information contributes to overall efforts to ensure that voluntary repatriation exercises happen voluntarily, in safety and dignity and that the principle of family unity is upheld.