Caritas South Sudan has transported forty-two returnees who were stranded in Malakal after crossing the border from Sudan three weeks ago.
The returnees arrived in Juba on Tuesday 26th September and they are among the 100 people the organization booked for a flight from Malakal to Juba this week.
Charles Leju Gabriel, an Admin Manager for Caritas South Sudan, Arch Diocese of Juba says the second batch of the returnees is expected to arrive in Juba on Wednesday or Thursday depending on the flight schedules at Juba International Airport.
“According to the plan we are supposed to receive 100 individuals from Malakal, however, we only received forty-two because of the flight, the rest we expect to arrive tomorrow and next tomorrow.”
Charles Leju Gabriel reiterated that Caritas South Sudan as a humanitarian partner will continue helping the returnees who are stuck in Malakal due to transport challenges to join their families in Juba and other parts of South Sudan.
The admin manager urges other Humanitarian partners to also intervene and help people who are returning from Sudan to reintegrate with their people in South Sudan.
Majwok Dominic one of the returnees who fled Sudan on 2nd September said they faced challenges during their journey, especially the registration that took almost 3 weeks.
“The journey was very difficult because the registration was very slow which made me spend three weeks, but when I found Caritas, it was very easy I want to thank the church and Caritas for helping me and my family to arrive.”
Majwok said many of his friends are stranded in Malakal without their properties but also need to reunite with their families in Juba.
“I want the Government to help our people because there are many people there in Malakal, they need to travel to Juba because they lost everything.”
Another returnee, Susan said the journey was hectic and claimed that she remained stranded at Juba International Airport when communications between her and her relatives in Juba went mute.
With fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in its fifth month since April, some 5.3 million people have fled their homes and sought refuge in Sudan or neighboring countries.
More than 4.2 million people have been displaced to 3,929 locations across all 18 states as of 19 September, according to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix.