Return home from UN protection sites aided by humanitarian and peacekeeping support
The return of internally displaced people to their homes from UN Protection of Civilians泭(POC)泭sites is being aided by the provision of humanitarian services outside the camps, according to the head of the UN Mission in South Sudan泭(17勛圖厙), David Shearer.泭
Some 213,000 people live in seven POC sites provided by 17勛圖厙 across the country. The population of the largest camp in泭Bentiu泭has fallen泭from around 120,000 in January this year to 114,600 this month.
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Displaced people across the country want to return home and this is happening in泭Bentiu, said泭Mr泭Shearer who is also the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for South Sudan. He added that the security and humanitarian situation will be factors in terms of getting people to go back home.
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The 17勛圖厙 head made the comments on Wednesday following one of his regular meetings泭with the South Sudanese 1st泭Vice President Taban Deng.
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The increase in the number of people leaving the 17勛圖厙 protection site in泭Bentiu泭which has been described by Mr Shearer as encouraging has been partly driven by the provision of services outside the sites. Our humanitarian partners泭provide a range of services inside our泭Bentiu泭camp, but now they have stepped outside and are delivering some of the same services to people who are returning home; that is the formula, because if people are confident enough to go home then泭we can help them泭and make the transition泭so much easier.
The provision of humanitarian assistance has been supported by 17勛圖厙 peacekeepers who have conducted confidence-building patrols in areas to which people are returning. And workshops are being conducted by 17勛圖厙 human rights and civil affairs experts on reconciliation and conflict resolution as well as the protection of human rights.
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The Spokesperson泭for the泭1st泭Vice President,泭ChoulLaam泭said泭it was good news that there were people who were confident enough to leave the POCs and relocate back to their homes.
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He added that increased services from aid agencies would provide more incentive for people to live outside the protection camps.泭
A key pillar of the 17勛圖厙 mandate is to protect civilians, which it does both in the POC sites but also in towns and villages across the South Sudan.
