By William Madouk
At least twenty South Sudanese families have been repatriated back to Juba from the restive Wad-Madani state in Sudan.
The return of these returnees was made possible by the Youth Organization for Peace Support (YOPS) through funding from speaker of the national assembly, Jemma Nunu Kumba.
Speaking to the media, Deng Makuach Kiir, the CEO of the Youth Organization for Peace Support said his organization was established in 2016 in Sudan and later on referred to South Sudan.
He explained that they have embarked on so many initiatives in Juba and now they managed to bring 20 households to Juba.
“Today we are happy because our families whom we have brought from Wad-Madani, they arrived yesterday and they are here with us,” Kiir stated.
Mr. Kiir this wouldn’t materialized if not through a financial support for speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba.
“We sat down as team and we decided that what Jemma Nunu gave us and what to do with it. We decide to utilize it well and because have feeling to our people in Wad-Madani, thank God we brought home 20 families with a little support from Nunu,” he added.
He appealed to well-wishers, government, organizations and citizen to put their hands together and bring home South Sudanese who stranded in all part of the Sudan.
YOPS boss decried of the lack of funding, adding that with little the organization has it manage to bring some families.
One of the returnees, who identified herself as Angelina stated that they were displaced from Khartoum to Wad-Madani.
“it was hard to escape the war zone and also on the process of fleeing the bullets we lost some people during our journey, due to hunger, thirst and tiresome and also few panic from the heavy sounds of guns,” she said.
“Through difficulties we manage to reached Wad-Madani and thank God this organization found us and they brought us through Abyei route to Juba,” she added.
She further appealed to the government and general public to assist their brothers and sisters who are still trapped in war-ravaged Sudan.
Bona Deng, the chairperson of Peace and Reconciliation in the national parliament, welcomed the returnees and thanked God for steering their journey until the reached home peacefully.
“Firstly, for families comprising of women, and children through a land journey from Wad-Madani in Sudan through to Abyei and again by land to Juba is not an easy thing,” he added.
He further stated that there is no country without challenges, adding that returnees must tighten their belt to cope with the new situation in South Sudan.