EES Government Urged To Support Returnees Civil society organizations and returnees have appealed to the Government of Eastern Equatoria State to strengthen their support in providing essential services such shelter, food, health, education, clean water, among others during the just ended World Refugee Day.26 June 2011 A returnees' play demonstrates hopelessness during the commemoration of Refugee Day in Torit [©GurtoBy Peter Lokale Nakimangole TORIT, 26th June 2011 [Gurtong] –Civil society organizations and returnees have appealed to the Government of Eastern Equatoria State to strengthen their support in providing essential services such shelter, food, health, education, clean water, among others during the just ended World Refugee Day.
Speaking on Friday at Torit Freedom Square during the World Refugee Day celebrations, the function’s Guest of honour, State Deputy Governor Nartisio Loluke assured the citizens that the State government was devising ways to transform the lives of the returnees while calling for patience as the Government was slowly integrating these groups slowly. The chairperson for Women Association in the State, Hon. Alma Thomas urged the State Government to help alleviate the ongoing suffering experienced by returnees in the State. She decried the returnees’ plights while saying that they as a Women Association have identified accommodation, education, health, water and sanitation and among other needs that require Government intervention. Alma stressed that there was a need to cooperate with the State Government including other stakeholders in order to provide the urgently needed aid to the returnees. “Without meeting all the above mentioned areas of intervention there is going to be continuous unrest among our vulnerable returnees’ population,” Alma said. She reminded the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hon. Benjamin Banaiah Kitara who attended the celebration that his ministry was responsible for the returnee’s affairs in the State. Acting Director General in the State Ministry of Social Development & Culture, Mrs. Jane Surur Gama who acknowledged the UNHCR for playing their role effectively by ensuring safe arrival of returnees from exile and IDPs from north Sudan, said that returnees still needed much attention from the Government. “ It’s not just a matter of repatriating them back home and leaving them unattended but the Government must work hard build returnees’ lives and livelihoods so as to catch up with the rest. She called on the Government to exercise tolerance, respect and compassion on returnees adding that justice was mostly needed at this time and beyond. At the function, a returnee drama group demonstrated how they faced problems upon their return from exile. Among the issues they usually face include difficulty in getting land to build their tukuls, indigenous communities disown them while claiming that the lands belonged to them. Their demonstrations revealed that at times, some of them had visited their forefathers’ land upon their return; they always found illegal occupants who threatened to repel them at gun point The UNHCR head in Torit, Mr. John Wassey said that the recently returned refugees, internally displaced persons, IDPs face daunting challenges in reintegration into the society. With little government assistance, they often face conditions much worse than in the refugee and IDP camps. He added, “The State could have done much more to ease their resettlement.” Most of the returnees came from East Africa, Khartoum and Ethiopia. Posted in: Home -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
