South Sudan: Displaced People Return After Fleeing Violence

In South Sudan, thousands of displaced individuals begin returning to their homes after fleeing recent violence, signaling a fragile step toward stability.

According to a United Nations mission in South Sudan, weeks of violence in the town of Tambura and its surrounding areas have compelled thousands to abandon their homes in Western Equatoria State.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) announced on Friday that “calm” had returned to the region after violence prompted many displaced people to seek refuge near a temporary UNMISS base.

“We’ve been in the bush for approximately two weeks,” Monica Zeferina, displaced from Tambura, informed peacekeepers during their patrol on Friday.

“We don’t know who the armed men killing our people are… We can’t relocate because we lack transportation to move our children to a safer place. It’s very challenging for us.”

Colonel Shams Sittique, a Senior Military Observer with UNMISS, stated that the mission is persistently monitoring the situation and working to “bring the violence under control.”

In South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, political parties and civil society organizations in the region have reached an agreement on an “action plan” aimed at conducting free and fair elections within two years.

UNMISS organized a three-day Political Parties’ Forum in Aweil.

Representatives from eight political parties and seven civil society groups participated in the forum, during which officials signed a plan designed to establish “an inclusive, secure and participatory civic and political space” leading up to the scheduled 2026 vote.

Guang Cong, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for UNMISS, emphasized that having an open civic and political space is crucial now more than ever. It enables civic and political actors to gather freely, register their parties, access media equally for campaigning and agenda promotion, as well as hold rallies, meetings, and other campaign activities without hindrance,” he stated while attending the event.

In September, the South Sudanese government announced a two-year postponement of elections initially planned for December 2024. The delay was due to the need to complete several processes, including conducting a census, drafting a permanent constitution, and registering political parties.

The election has been rescheduled for December 22, 2026.

This marks the second instance in which the nation, having achieved independence in 2011, has delayed elections and prolonged a transitional phase that began in February 2020.