An IOM operation to provide return assistance to some 10,000
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from South Sudan's provinces of
Eastern, Central and Western Equatoria is due to resume next week
when a first group of some 350 IDPs will board an IOM chartered
ferry that will take them on an 18-hour long journey up the White
Nile from Juba to Bor, in Jonglei State.

The operation, which last year helped some 3,000 vulnerable IDPs
return to their homeland in Bor County, was suspended in June
because of the onslaught of the rainy season.

"Travel by river remains one of the most viable means of transit
within Sudan," says IOM's Louis Hoffmann. "With the return of the
dry season, IOM and its partners will do their utmost to help all
those who wish to return home and provide them with enough
reintegration assistance to make their return
sustainable."   

Prior to their departure, the group will be medically screened
by IOM staff at the Lologo way station near Juba. IOM will also
provide medical assistance and monitoring throughout the
journey.

To assist reintegration efforts, the IOM chartered barge will
also transport non-food items provided by UNICEF between Juba and
Bor. In cooperation with the World Food Programme, IOM will be
providing transit rations on board the barge.

Upon arrival in Bor, the returnees will be temporarily housed at
an UNHCR way station. WFP will ensure the provision of a food
allowance to all returning families. Non-food items to assist with
the reintegration include plastic sheeting, jerry cans, mosquito
nets, blankets, sleeping mats and a cooking set.

The resumption of the Juba-Bor return operation, which is
carried out in coordination with the UN and government of South
Sudan, will be witnessed by a group of representatives from main
donor countries, who will also visit IOM operations in Khartoum and
Darfur.

This movement is the first planned assistance to some 200,000
IDPs expected to return home this year.

IOM is currently seeking USD 24.2 million to ensure the safe,
dignified and sustainable return of displaced populations to and
within Southern Sudan. This is part of a broader IOM appeal for USD
61 million for operations in Sudan in 2007.

 

For more information, please contact:

Louis Hoffmann

IOM Juba

Tel. +249 9 121 70095

E-mail: "mailto:lhoffmann@iom.int">lhoffmann@iom.int

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