Population figures
Total country population
11,277,092
Forcibly displaced population
Refugees (under UNHCR's mandate):
468,759
Asylum-seekers:
5,527
IDPs (of concern to UNHCR):
1,121,084
Other people in need of international protection:
0
Other
Statelessness persons
10,500
Host community
454,831
Others of concern to UNHCR
0
Country context
South Sudan lies in East-Central Africa, landlocked and bordered clockwise by Sudan to the north, Ethiopia to the east, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, and the Central African Republic to the west. South Sudan has approximately 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), and 2.3 million of its citizens have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. Additionally, the country hosts over 500,000 refugees, primarily from Sudan.
Before the conflict in Sudan, South Sudan was still grappling with the aftermath of its brutal civil war and a deep humanitarian crisis fueled by the effects of climate change, conflict, and food insecurity. The country has experienced four years of historic flooding, with water inundating homes, farmlands, and the traditional transhumance routes of cattle herders. This situation has negatively impacted crop yields and livestock and further exacerbating the country's economic and food crises. Additionally, many communities have been permanently displaced due to ongoing severe weather events.
...The principal domestic instrument for international protection is the Refugee Act No. 20 of 2012, which gives effect to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol as well as the 1969 OAU Convention governing the specific aspects of refugee problems in Africa. The national legal framework grants refugees’ rights such as freedom of movement and residence, socio-economic rights (including the right to work and own property), and access to social services. The Act also outlines the institutional framework for refugee management, detailing the roles of the Commission for Refugees Affairs (CRA), the Refugee Eligibility Committee (REC), and the Refugee Appeals Board (RAB). In addition, the 2017 Refugee Eligibility Regulations set out comprehensive procedures for Refugee Status Determination (RSD), appeals, and administrative processes in line with international standards.
South Sudan acceded to the 1954 Convention on Statelessness and the 1961 Statelessness Reduction Convention in 2024, yet no domestic procedure for status determination exists. The Nationality Act of 2011 confers nationality by descent and provides for naturalisation, with equal transmission rights for women and men, but lacks a mechanism to identify or regularise persons without nationality, who instead obtain temporary residence status under general immigration rules
However, refugees, IDPs, returnees, and people at risk of statelessness across South Sudan continue to face protection challenges, including access to justice and the legal system, civil documentation, and housing, land, and property (HLP). Furthermore, the two-year postponement of the South Sudanese general election- initially scheduled for 2024, may have far reaching implications with regards to security, funding, engagement with civil society and the general working environment for humanitarians over the next two years.
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