Returnees stranded in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state have reiterated their call for the South Sudanese government to transport them to their final destinations throughout the country before the onset of rainy season inhibits travel.

Residing at camps for the displaced in Renk County, near to the port they were brought to, the returnees have endured increasingly poor humanitarian conditions.

The head of Fayawar camp returnees’ committee in Renk, Pasquale Bafra, told Radio Tamazuj that continuous promises from the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) to transport them have been unfulfilled. 

“Since their displacement in the eighties last century, because of the war between South Sudan and the north which led to the separation of the South, some came to Renk before and others after the independence.  But they are still waiting to transport them to their homes of origin,” Bafra noted.

Bafra made a direct request to South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir, to make the necessary measures so that the authorities can transport the returnees to their final destinations before the onset of the rainy season.

He added that he is concerned over the worsening of the returnees’ health as the rainy season often brings increased levels of mosquitos, disease and adequate shelter, something which many camps lack.