Are you a South Sudanese refugee who had left the country due to conflict and have now returned to South Sudan or planning to do so by your own will and with your own means?
You may hear the term ‘spontaneous refugee returnee’ to describe people in this situation.
Every refugee has the right to return home if and when he or she wishes and choses freely. Whether or not to return is a personal decision made by every refugee of his or her own free will, and without any pressure from others (e.g. family members, community leaders, government authorities).
In recent years, South Sudan has made some progress in bringing peace and improving safety/security in some parts of the country. South Sudan is yet to resolve all the main problems that forced South Sudanese to flee from their homes to another part of South Sudan or to other countries. For return of South Sudanese refugees to be long-lasting and in peace, safety and with dignity, all the main problems due to which they had fled their homes, must be resolved permanently.
Therefore, until all the main causes are resolved permanently, UNHCR is unable to support or assist South Sudanese refugees to return home. Even if UNHCR cannot assist them, UNHCR respects every South Sudanese refugee’s right to return home if and when they want to return by their own will.
In addition, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting South Sudan like all other countries around the world, UNHCR advises all people to make a careful decision about their movements, in order to remain safe from the COVID-19 virus.
Read more on the COVID-19 and border closure here [link]
