RENK - “The question all of us should ask ourselves is what we can offer to the communities we join and vice versa.”
The words of Mohammed Ahmed Babker, refugee and representative of the Sudanese nomad community, resonated deeply with those joining him for an open discussion that exposed shared challenges and desires for a better future in Renk.
Since conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023, over 1.3 million refugees and returnees have crossed into South Sudan, with the Joda border point often the entry point in their search for safety.
Unprepared and already stretched by their own lack of resources, residents in and around Renk struggle to provide the new arrivals with the support they need.
To respond to the rapidly evolving, dire situation, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and partners facilitated a Return and Reintegration workshop that brought together returnees, refugees, and host community members to develop concrete action points for the way forward – the Renk Transition Roadmap.
Intended to serve as the foundation of a durable solutions framework, the newly agreed points will become a vital part of the National Action Plan on Returns, Reintegration, and Recovery.
For solutions to be sustainable, it’s important that they are identified and led by those who have experienced the challenges.
Accordingly, the workshop served as a safe space for the three target communities as well as national and local authorities to discuss, disagree and agree.
“What is most valuable about initiatives like this is that they focus on self-reliance which is particularly important when developing durable and lasting solutions in South Sudan,” explains Marwa Taha, UNMISS Recovery, Return and Reintegration Officer.
The type of self-reliance that was embodied by the proactive and eager participation of individuals, such as returnee Josephine Osman who arrived in Renk mid last year without her children as she had sent them to Lakes State, after one died during the war and she was did not have the resources to join them in time.
“I recommend that widows and their children should get priority. We are suffering, so we need to particularly protect the vulnerable. Since we all long to work and make a living, I also hope there will be a recommendation for vocational trainings in tailoring or other things that will allow us to become independent.”
She also recommended English courses, given it’s a dominant language in South Sudan while many Sudanese returnees and refugees are accustomed to conversing in Arabic.
Her and fellow advocates’ points are now captured in the roadmap, alongside identified means for better cooperation between local organizations and community networks, regardless of their nationality.
In the end, they all share the same objective for a better future, as highlighted by one of Renk’s host community members, Teresa Kur:
“While we weren’t prepared for these big numbers of people coming from Sudan, the war there brought people that didn’t think about coming back or coming before. They’re our brothers and sisters, so it feels good to have them here with us and we will try and support them to the best we can.”
For now, a volatile context paired with severe resource shortages will require, not just patience, but endurance. Until the situation allows them to come together freely and translate what was meant as a transition roadmap into lasting reality.
By Jaella Brockmann
