The Long Road home Opportunities and Obstacles to the Reintegration of IDPs and Refugees Returning to Southern Sudan and the Three Areas

Author(s)
Pantuliano, S., Buchanan-Smith, M. and Murphy, P.
Publication language
English
Pages
4pp
Date published
01 Sep 2008
Type
Factsheets and summaries
Keywords
Livelihoods, Forced displacement and migration, Shelter and housing, Urban
Countries
South Sudan
Organisations
ODI
Profound changes are taking place in Southern
Sudan as a result of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA). The CPA has made possible
substantial improvements in freedom of
movement, trade and oil revenue, dramatically
reduced conflict and laid the foundations of a
system of governance to administer the south’s
own affairs (although reform in the three areas
has been slow and unsatisfactory). Demographics
and social relations are radically
changing from wartime patterns. But ‘peace’
has also given rise to uncertainties about the
future. Opportunities for citizens to be
economically independent have been slow to
develop, and large numbers have not yet
benefited from economic growth. Insecurity
and threats to safety persist. Overall, the extent
of what needs to be done to stabilise the postwar
environment and build a foundation for
long-term peace is only beginning to be
appreciated, and many opportunities to
positively influence the agreement in its first
years have already been lost.