Following decades of civil war, a comprehensive peace agreement and the subsequent independence of South Sudan in 2011 prompted as many as two million refugees to return to the world’s youngest country. Many, however, were displaced again when internal conflict erupted in December 2013. A temporary reprieve following the signing of a peace agreement in 2015 enabled some to return to their homes, but conflict soon flared up again. A revitalised peace agreement was signed in 2018, but it is unclear whether the latest wave of returns will this time prove sustainable.
This study, which forms part of IDMC’s Invisible Majority thematic series, examines the relationship between internal displacement, cross-border movements and durable solutions in South Sudan. Based on more than 200 interviews in Bentiu and Juba, it arrives at the following key findings