Medair

South Sudan: Emergency Response Continues for Thousands of Returning Families

In South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, more than 20,000 returnees from Sudan have set up temporary camps in the border town of Renk.

New returnees continue to arrive in Renk, while others leave and resume their journey home to communities that many of them haven’t seen since the civil war began decades ago.

Families staying in these camps find themselves in terrible conditions, with little food, health care, or access to water or sanitation. They shelter in flimsy tents that are frequently destroyed by torrential rains. With all the rainfall, the camps have turned into mosquito-infested swamps, which in turn has led to high rates of malaria in the camps.

“The living conditions for the returnees are quite shocking,” said Stella Chetham, Medair Field Communications Officer.

Dirt roads leading to Renk have turned to mud because of the rainy season, making road travel extremely difficult, both for people trying to leave the area, and for relief agencies trying to access the camps with medicine and essential supplies. “At one point when our car couldn’t go any farther, our team waded through the swamp to reach the clinic,” explained Stella.

For the past three months, Medair’s emergency response teams have been actively providing relief to returnees in Renk.

Our emergency health team has cared for almost 10,000 returnees, providing essential vaccinations along with treatment for malaria, malnutrition, and other serious illnesses. We have also distributed mosquito nets and plastic sheeting for temporary shelter.

WASH technician Asher Bray testing new tapstands at Abayok Returnee camp, Renk, Upper Nile State, South Sudan

Our emergency WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) team has worked to extend the town’s water system to reach the camps, so that returnee families can access safe drinking water. We have also built emergency latrines and hand-washing facilities and we have provided widespread hygiene promotion to help avert the spread of disease in these crowded, muddy camps.  

“We plan to continue providing emergency relief to families for the next few months until the returnees, currently hampered by rains and a lack of transportation, are able to move on to their final destinations,” said Stella.


Medair’s emergency response in Renk is supported by the E.C. Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection and by private donations.

For more information about Medair’s work in South Sudan, click here.

This web update was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.