IMF-funded Project Supports Vulnerable Returnees in South Sudan
By Denilson Denike
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Government of South Sudan are providing assistance to vulnerable returnees from Sudan with the support of a financial grant from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The project, which received a funding of $5 million, aims to address the urgent basic needs of over 4,488 vulnerable returnees and internally displaced persons in South Sudan. The assistance includes cash-based aid for food, transportation, shelter, and sanitation, as well as contributing to household savings for resettlement.
Since the outbreak of fighting in Sudan on April 15, 2023, over 480,000 individuals have fled to South Sudan. The majority of them are South Sudanese who have lost everything during the conflict and are returning to areas with limited essential services and coping capacities.
The inflation in South Sudan has also led to a rapid increase in the prices of essential commodities, including food.
John McCue, IOM South Sudan Acting Chief of Mission, highlighted the impact of the Sudan conflict on South Sudan’s fragile economy.
“The conflict in Sudan has affected the already fragile economic outlook of South Sudan particularly for northern States that rely heavily on imports from Sudan, leading to an increase in food prices and fuel costs and exacerbating protection risks, food insecurity and negative coping mechanisms,” John Stated.
The project aims to address protection risks, food insecurity, and negative coping mechanisms resulting from the crisis.
The six -month Cash Based Intervention project that started in June through December 2023 included one-time voucher and cash assistance for transportation to areas of return, multipurpose cash assistance and in-kind assistance, including the distribution of Shelter and Water Sanitation Hygiene items like plastic sheets, blankets, mosquito nets, rubber robes to aid the construction of temporary emergency shelters.
