Refugees International Advocate Sarah Martin and human rights lawyer Betsy Apple will be traveling to Nairobi, Kenya and south Sudan from March 1-21, 2006 to conduct an assessment of the progress to date with the refugee and IDP return process. The Refugees International (RI) team will evaluate the overall effectiveness of the international coordination on protection of civilians. RI also will seek to assess the disarmament and demobilization process particularly in regards to the needs of children affiliated with the fighting forces.

A decades-long civil war in Sudan between the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) caused countless deaths among non-combatants as well as the displacement of four million people within Sudan. Additionally, 500,000 Sudanese fled to neighboring countries: Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Egypt. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) has been in place since 2005 and many of the displaced persons and refugees are now returning to their homes. With social and economic infrastructure virtually non-existent, post-conflict reconstruction will be a huge challenge in this war-torn country.

The primary purpose of this mission is to examine to what extent progress has been made to assist the returning refugees and internally displaced. RI will assess UN and humanitarian agencies' efforts to meet protection and assistance needs and identify any constraints. We will examine the potential and actual risks to the human rights of refugee returnees and internally displaced persons and efforts to prevent and respond to violations. We will also examine coordination of the international response. Finally, RI will examine the plans in place for disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of the former combatants in south Sudan to the extent possible.

The RI team will travel to Nairobi, Kenya from March 1-3, and then continue most likely to Juba, Bor, and Yei, south Sudan, reaching Khartoum on approximately March 18. The team will conduct follow-up advocacy upon their return to the United States in late March.