Return Operations Require Urgent Funding
IOM operations to voluntarily return thousands of internally
displaced people (IDPs) to their former homes in South Sudan
restarting late November will only last until the end of the year
unless additional funding can be found urgently.
The Organization has already assisted more than 60,480 South
Sudanese IDPs to return to their homes since 2006 by land, barge
and air as part of the Joint Return Plan of the Government of
National Unity (GoNU), the Government of South Sudan (GoSS), the
United Nations (UN) and IOM.
Emergency funding of USD 2 million from the Common Humanitarian
Fund set up for humanitarian operations in Sudan and additional
funding by the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) is allowing IOM to recommence voluntary returns of IDPs to
and within South Sudan in the coming weeks with the end of the
rainy season.
About 3,500 IDPs will be helped to return to Southern Kordofan,
as well as to Unity and Upper Nile States from Khartoum by road.
Some 1,000 IDPs will be assisted by barge to Malakal in Upper Nile
State while another 1,500 IDPs currently displaced in Nimule,
Eastern Equatoria State, will also be assisted home to Jonglei
State. Funds will also be used to organize the registration of
other IDPs bound for Jonglei as well as to improve facilities at a
departure centre in Khartoum and four ways stations along the route
to South Sudan.
However, IOM is urgently appealing for a further USD 4 million
to begin the implementation of priority returns scheduled for early
2008. Funds would be used to establish a logistics structure, and
to re-establish or refurbish departure centres and way stations
that were either dismantled or damaged during the rainy season this
year and which also need to be built in Sudan's northern states as
well as in Juba, Tortag, Gogrial, Warawar and Wau in the South.
"There are almost 100,000 IDPs who are to be provided return
assistance under the UN/IOM portion of the Joint Return Plan for
2008. Clearly the lack of even minimal funding at this critical
stage when the preparation and organization for the returns should
already be in place puts a major question mark on this being
possible," said IOM Chief of Mission in Sudan, Mario Tavolaj.
For more information, please contact:
Simona Opitz
IOM Sudan
Tel: + 249 (0)912330700
E-mail:
"mailto:sopitz@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">sopitz@iom.int