As South Sudan moves towards forming a Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGONU) in February 2020, questions around the return and resettlement of over 4.15 million South Sudanese are rising up the political agenda. There is an urgent need to consider lessons from the previous return migration and resettlement processes, and controls on returnees’ movements, particularly from those around the CPA period (2002-2012).

This briefing note is part of this process, reflecting on the possibilities for today’s returns, resettlement and reconstruction of South Sudan based on lessons learned from previous efforts. This briefing argues that there are three key issues that donors and agencies need consider during their current planning and implementation: the sustained economic crisis, lack of immediate political or social necessity to return, and the deep societal fractures resulting from the intra-Southern civil war of 2013-18, which has brought into question the idea of a South Sudanese national community.