Radio Miraya
2772: UNHCR Regional Director: Reflections on establishing sustainable livelihoods for refugees in South Sudan
My name is Mamad Jambaldi and I'm the Regional Director for UNICIA in charge of the Eastern Horn of African Great Lakes region. I'm based in Nairobi. Thank you so much. Welcome to South Sudan. To begin with, what are the primary objectives of your visit to South Sudan? I came to South Sudan a few days ago as part of a two countries visit. We came to South Sudan with the High Commissioner of Aleppo Grande. We went to Sudan Kosti and today we are celebrating or rather commemorating World Refugee Day here in South Sudan. Earlier today we were in Jamjang, a place, a refugee camp, a county that has been receiving refugees for the past decade hosting them, generously providing them with land, with housing and where Sudanese refugees have been able to take care of themselves for a number of them. Are there any new initiatives or support measures that UNICIA is planning to introduce in South Sudan? You know well that last year, in from April 2023, South Sudan has started receiving its own citizens back home. Over 700,000 people have left the brutal conflict happening now in Sudan and you know well that South Sudan itself is not too foreign to conflict. The brutal conflict that we have seen in Sudan has uprooted over 700,000 people including over 500,000 who happen to be South Sudanese citizens. So when citizens return back home, it is the primary responsibility of the government to receive them, to host them and to allow them to reintegrate. The UN, the international community, have been supporting transportation and when people return back home, they need access to services so that we can end that cycle of displacement. So reintegration is a priority for all of us and I was glad to be in the mission today to Jamjang with the resident coordinator, humanitarian coordinator as well along with the UNICIA representative and the High Commissioner for Refugees and the Government of South Sudan. So reintegration is a priority for over 500,000 South Sudanese who have returned home. When it comes to refugees who are the Sudanese who found protection here, some of them since 2012, 2013 and others most recently, we need to be able to work with the government here to help them already from the beginning, not to be staying in a refugee comes and to be too dependent on humanitarian funds. What does it mean? It means that the refugees who are coming and who happen to be teachers, doctors, traders, people who can take care of themselves, we should be able to help them as early as possible to be able to be back on their own feet. They have gone through a lot. They have gone through a lot of challenges. I met today, a refugee woman coming from her tomb. She is a mother of six. One of her daughters who happened to be named Heba is 13 and what she wants is to be able to continue her studies and to be a doctor. You have several stories of this and Heba's mother was telling us that if she's able to get an initial capital, she will be able to sell tea, to be able to take care of herself in addition to the possibilities to farm. Because again, around Jamjang, there are possibilities for people like her to combine several types of jobs so that as early as possible, there is no much support so that she's supported as early as possible. She can take care of them herself. So two very important elements, the integration for their return is once we receive them and solution from the start for the refugees who have arrived. And just to end, before the return is coming from Sudan now, we had over 700,000 former South Sudanese refugees in Uganda who had returned and who were in the pocket of hope. These are places where we have worked with development actors with the government so that we can help the integration. So these are three very important initiatives that we are working on in partnership. We are supporting the government and we are getting general support from donors and we just needed to carry forward. All right. What are the biggest challenges that refugees and internally displaced persons, IDPs are facing in a South Sudan, like you've seen? My colleagues may speak more to it because, as you know, I'm the regional director. I'm in charge of the San Juan of Africa where we have 5.3 million refugees. What I can say to you that is common to both South Sudan and several of the countries that are covered. One is really the lack of peace so that people can return home. We also have the violence for those people who have come and found protection. We have limited livelihoods opportunities. And even though in this part of the world people are received, we need to see more in relation to inclusion so that the refugees, when they come, they are able to thrive to take care of themselves. And of course, we need investment by countries who receive refugees as well as support from the international community. Well, how is the international community particularly? Let's talk about UNHCR addressing the needs of South Sudanese refugees in South Sudan and South Sudanese IDPs. I believe we are working in partnership. The government has the one leading on the response for both its own citizens as well as the refugees who are coming. The people of South Sudan have been extremely generous. The solidarity they are extending to their brothers and sisters who are coming back. But also to the refugees opening their doors, helping them access land like what we witnessed today around Jamjang or yesterday when we were around rank in rank. I believe that what we see is extremely generous populations towards both refugees and the returnees. But again, also opportunities. I believe that if we are able to support more the refugees, more the returnees, we can increase or contribute more to social cohesion. And these are the type of challenges that several refugees have been sharing with us. But again, if you are pulling all of our support together again with the government as the lead, we can be able to respond to these needs. You asked me about challenges and I spoke about conflict as well as violence. What is happening now in Sudan is having quite an impact on people who are returning here, but also on the inability of people who are here as refugees for a long period of time. To go back, but this is only for these two countries globally or in this region. We see less and less opportunities for peace. So whenever I have an opportunity, I share this with everyone. People, institutions, partners, all of us needed to contribute to making this place a better place. The drivers of conflict, misunderstandings, violence, and having institutions that are strong, that can help people so that they can return home, are absolutely essential. In the region I cover, there are 2.3 million South Sudanese refugees. Several of them, I meet whether in Gambela, Ethiopia, or when I meet them in Uganda, in northern Uganda, or I meet them in Kenya, a lot of them say to me, "You want to return home," and we really need to see conditions created so that people can return home in safety and dignity and rebuild their lives. That's solutions. If coupled with solidarity, I believe that we'll make a difference. Yes, you've answered part of my second question actually, and now I can ask about how do you think the impact of the conflict in Sudan on South Sudan can be mitigated? I'm not sure I have all the answers to that question, but what I can say, having been into Sudan three times since the conflict erupted, having been to South Sudan now the second time, I can say to you, visiting border areas, either in northern Baha'r Ghazal, or like the past few days around rank. The impact is very, very negative, so we ask and we call, and my High Commissioner does it. The Secretary-General, all of them have been saying this. We need peace. Sudanese people have seen their life really interrupted. Refugees and hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese who are living there, either as refugees or as part of the society, because these were one country until 2011. I believe that that conflict needs to end. The goals have been made. The more the conflict continues, I think the greater level of fragility it is going to create for the entire region, not only impacting South Sudan because charge is already impacted, several other parts of the region are impacted directly or indirectly. So all efforts I wish will be made to make sure that this conflict ends as quickly as possible. What is the central message you want to convey to the world on this year's World Refugee Day? For the communities that have kept the houses open, who have provided land, who have been able to host refugees, I would say keep that solidarity. To others who have been less welcoming, I would say to them be more forthcoming towards your broader sister who is coming and seeking protection. I believe that solidarity is a major factor, and a major team is the team of this year. I would say it's not only solidarity in welcoming people, but enable people who have come to be able to take care of themselves and that solutions are found. So I would say solidarity solutions are two teams that are extremely linked, that are extremely important, and there is no better place than South Sudan to remember that solidarity towards refugees is essential, it is important. This country has seen having had the refugees for several decades outside. I believe that solidarity you symbolize it. And today again in Jamjang, it was very, I was glad to see communities who have provided land so that refugees not only stay, but that refugees are able to work alongside host populations to produce so that they can share together. And that's the level of solidarity that is required. Solidarity in welcoming, solidarity towards that cistern border, but also solidarity to help people take care of themselves so that they can contribute to finding solutions. Yes, and how can individuals and organizations around the world contribute to improving the lives of refugees and displaced persons? You know, 1.1 million, 120 million people displaced. In several parts of the world, people contribute at the individual level, at community level, like what I saw the past few days, like what I saw in White Nile. White Nile still has over 400,000 South Sudanese refugees. Sudan, despite being in conflict, is still hosting the refugees. So individual communities are already extending solidarity and support. My plea is that more needs to be done because again, the needs are getting bigger, because again, not many countries are making sure that their people are sufficiently taken care of. And that violence conflict, generalised violence, humanised violations in proportions exacerbated by the impact of climate are just having an impact on communities. So solidarity is happening, I would say, but we need to do more and to assist on solutions. This is the call we make, this is the call my boss, the High Commissioner just made also today from Jam Jam on a day like this one, which is World Refugee Day. And what is your vision for the future of refugees protection and support, particularly in South Sudan? My vision is that we have less or less refugees, that people are able to take care of themselves, that conflicts are less, so that people can return home, that South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries are able to return home, because conditions have been created by the government, by the people, so that our brothers and sisters who are refugees in Uganda, in Kenya, in Ethiopia are able to return home. And so that's the vision that we have, it's a vision of solutions. We are aware that some of those visions might take time to materialise, but I also believe that if we continue to put every single effort on that vision, it might make a difference. And the UNHA are the refugee agency, government, donors, partners and refugees themselves. I believe that we are determined to make that vision a reality. Let's fast track it, let's make sure that it is a reality. Finally from me, you just shared an encounter with a mother of six in a conversation with a child who shared her vision. And I want to know what are some of your memorable encounter with refugees since the time you've been solving? That's a hard question. I have seen people face with the biggest challenges ever. I was working as a representative in Ethiopia until June last year, and I remember going in northern Ethiopia and finding a refugee woman who had made a life out of selling fruit, vegetables. And for her, when we were able to contribute to support her, with a small amount of money, she was able to take care of herself. So seeing her when she didn't have the resources, seeing her after she got the resources and a few months down the line when she was able to leverage those resources, these were some of the most important moments I found. I saw how a refugee convention could be implemented at the individual level so that when I spend time negotiating, discussing with government, it doesn't stop there. That when you leverage the private sector to advocate for a enabling policy, you speak with people who are directly impacted and you facilitate their access to capital, they can take care of themselves. So these were very memorable moments where in a matter of a year, we were able to help a person taken care of herself. And this happens in the thousands in this region. And while conflict protection drives people out of their houses, out of their schools, same people also being able to be supported to take care of themselves. And after having gone through violence, being able to determine your own present and future is truly remarkable. And these are very important moments that several of us cherish. Yes, thank you. Those are the questions I had for you, except if you have something that you will want to share that have not asked, please feel free. We will hear about the woman that I met today. With my colleagues, we'll be supporting her, most probably. And in the next few months, we will see how much we have gone. And working in the type of work I do, seeing the impact of what I do at that level makes a difference. So I would say that's absolutely essential. And I would also say, since I am with with you on this radio, that the messages of peace that you pass, the messages around prevention of conflict that you pass, your own contributions to making this place a better place are truly important. So we also counter new to contribute to helping and to improving the level of protection and solutions for the people we are there, our communities. Thank you so much, Amru. Thank you for coming. Thank you. Thank you very much.