By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Barely two weeks after Pope Francis met with several thousands of displaced persons in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, the country’s President, Salva Kiir has called on the about 2 million IDPs in the country to return home.
In his call on Wednesday during his first meeting with the refugees where he also assured them of their security, Kiir appealed to the international community to assist in reintegration of the returnees.
This comes as the youngest country in the world which gained independence in 2011 from Sudan, prepares for a major election next year expected to end the transition government.
The young nation is still recovering from the five-year civil war that erupted in late 2013, killed hundreds of thousands of people and ended with a peace agreement in 2018.
For a while, fleeing South Sudanese formed the world’s largest refugee camp in neighbouring Uganda.
With peace implementation moving towards the final phase where elections will end the transitional period, repatriating our people from the camps in neighbouring countries should top our agenda,” Mr. Kiir said.
“For those who will opt to return to their habitual areas of residence, the government will provide security,” Mr. Kiir said. Those who cannot return to their home communities will be allocated land in states where displacement camps are located, he said.
