Armed Conflicts and Migration Crisis in South Sudan

Abstract

Armed conflicts have occasioned crisis migration in South Sudan, endangering the rights and safety of the country’s civilian population. To address this monumental humanitarian problematic in the face of the visible incapacity of the state to act decisively and effectively, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan intervened to protect civilians. In doing so, it introduced a paradigm shift by establishing the protection of civilian sites (PoCs). However, the role of UNMISS in addressing the migration crisis has been understudied. Utilizing secondary data and premised on the humanitarian development approach, this article underscores the relevance and limitations of protection of civilian sites in the management of the migration crisis. It further establishes that the Mission was unable to effectively manage the migration crisis because millions of internally displaced persons living outside the PoCs and refugees in neighboring countries were not adequately catered for. Furthermore, there were challenges with the resettlement of IDPs and return of refugees due to the persistence of violence and rural insecurity. It is, therefore, recommended that UNMISS in collaboration with the government of South Sudan should enforce existing peace agreements to resolve the conflict and stop the further escalation of the conflict and forced migration, collaborate in restoring legitimate governance attuned to the needs of the people, put in place social and economic recovery initiatives that will address the needs of the displaced parsons, empower the returnees to restart their economic activities and spark development in the communities recovering from the armed conflicts.