By Onen Walter Solomon / Juba / June 21, 2021
The International Organization for Migration, IOM, Regional Director for the East and Horn of Africa, Mohammed Abdiker, is in Juba for a six-day official visit.
In a press statement dated JubaEcho obtained Monday morning, Abdiker is scheduled to meet with government officials, international donors, and the United Nations Country Team.
“Mr. Abdiker will also visit Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal to assess IOM’s humanitarian response in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps, including the Naivasha IDPs camp, and surrounding communities, as well as visit transition and recovery activities implemented by IOM for communities and returnees,” reads part of the statement IOM.
“In South Sudan, as you may know that, many IDP camps spread all around the country, but he [Abdiker] will only be visiting one, Naivasha in Wau,” IOM Communications Specialist Liatile Putsoa told JubaEcho’s reporter via a phone interview.
IOM has been supporting humanitarian assistance and activities in the country including providing water, sanitation and hygiene services, lifesaving and life sustaining shelter and Non-Food Items among others to million IDPs in the country.
The Internally Displaced Persons, according to Putsoa, have been leaving Naivasha camp but at a specific timeframe but “they come and go”, and depends on the period.
“As of the end of May 2021, Naivasha IDP camp hosted 8,415 individuals of 2,293 households. This is an estimated 21 percent decrease compared to April 2020. Population count data indicates gradual decrease in population size since then when 10,755 were residing on site,” latest IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) for Naivasha Putsoa sent to Jubaecho.
“The population of Naivasha IDP Camp marginally increased from 8,597 individuals in January 2021 and increased by 45 individuals” and “Wau Masna saw a decrease in its population by 37 individuals since January 2021,”
“There are more than 1.7 million IDPs in South Sudan living in Protection of Civilians (PoC) site, IDP camps and in host communities,” according to IOM’s, outlining that other activities involve providing water, sanitation and hygiene services, lifesaving and life sustaining shelter and Non-Food Items through in-kind distributions, cash-based interventions, health services conducted through static facilities, outreach/mobile clinics, and Rapid Response Teams.
“As per IOM’s Displacement Tracking Mobility,” Putsoa adds, “there is a total of 1,734,329 returnees across the country who reached their areas of habitual residences since 2016. 66% of them were displaced only within South Sudan, whereas 34% returned from displacement abroad. In addition to that, there are also 108,963 individuals who returned from abroad and remained displaced (IDPs).”
The press release says IOM works closely with the Government of South Sudan in supporting efforts to strengthen migration management, prevent transnational organized crime, mitigate the risk of public risks and improve migrant protection through capacity building at institutional, individual and societal level and policy development.
During his visit, IOM’s Abdiker will be seeking an avenue to collaborate with President Salva Kiir Administration in delivering programs across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus through an integrated, multi-sectoral approach whereby governance, migration management, and transition, recovery, and stabilization efforts complement humanitarian interventions across the country.
