A senior official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says the prevailing situation in South Sudan is not safe for return of people displaced.
Maria Corinna Miguel Quicho, Assistant Representative for Protection at UNHCR South Sudan says even if many South Sudanese refugees are desperate to return to their homes, the current situation in the country is not safe for mass repatriation.
She urges the government and development partners to prioritize development of polices that will help improve protection and voluntary resettlement of displaced people.
UN estimates the current civil war has displaced over two million people into neighboring countries and another 1.9 million displaced internally.
In the past few months, the government has been encouraging displaced South Sudanese to return to their homes and villages.
Hussein Mar Nyout, minister of humanitarian and disaster management, says the government is working with aid agencies to support the return of refugees and internally displaced people.
The officials spoke to journalists in Juba on Wednesday, during a two-day seminar about internal displacement.