Obstacles Facing Internally Displaced People in Mayo- Mandela-Camp in Returning to South Sudan

Abstract

The present study has been conducted with the Southern Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Mayo Mandela camp in Khartoum, Sudan during the period 2005-2010. The main objective of the study is to identify and determine the existing obstacles that hinder the southern IDPs’ return to south Sudan. The study attempted to answer a number of questions that include: what are the obstacles that hinder the return of southern IDPs? What are the policies that facilitate the IDPs’ return? What assistance is available for return? The study adopted a qualitative descriptive approach to examine the case of the IDPs voluntary return to south Sudan by using information obtained from primary and secondary sources. The primary sources that the research has relied upon were qualitative interviews. The researcher had conducted twenty in-depth interviews with tribal leaders, ordinary southern IDPs, returnees from the south and officials in different institutions concerned with the IDPs’ return. As for secondary sources, data is collected from books, official documents on IDPs policies, papers from conferences, workshops and seminars concerned with concept of voluntary return, in addition to weekly and monthly NGOs’ reports with regard to the conditions in the areas of return. Internet sources were also used. The study has come up with a number of findings that could be presented as follows: the main obstacles that deter the Southern IDPs to return to their places of origin after the signing of the CPA are: insecurity because of the presence of the armed militias, intertribal conflict, and land mines and unexploded ordinance, poor infrastructure and the lack of basic services especially health and education, the socio economic and cultural changes that happened during the period of displacement in Khartoum, land property whether here in Khartoum or in south Sudan, beside environmental, budgeting and institutional challenges. The assistance available for return is for organized return, while the vast majority returns spontaneously. The policies of return which were made by the government and other organization provides the returnees with many rights like physical security, services, property and documentation but the slow implementation of the CPA affects the access to these rights. The study recommends that more efforts are needed to sustain peace, the importance of providing villages and remote areas in south Sudan with services, also training programs and micro finance projects to enhance the livelihood conditions.