How South Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan are reclaiming their identity in South Sudan
Published: 12/Mar/2026
Source: UNHCR
By Gift Friday Noah in Juba
In 2016, deadly conflict reached Wau town, north-western South Sudan, where 49-year-old pharmacist Michael Angelo Ufo and his family had called home for years, forcing them to flee to White Nile State in Sudan to save their lives. But a few years later, Ufo and his family had to relive these memories when renewed conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023. With nowhere else to go, Ufo, his wife and eight children decided to return back to South Sudan in June 2024, carrying the few possessions they could manage ahead of the long journey back.
Once they reached South Sudan, they had to face yet another hurdle. During their flight, they lost all their identity documents which not only affected their sense of belonging but also made it difficult for them to access support to help them settle down in the country. In addition, Ufo was unable to register as a pharmacist in South Sudan because he could not prove his citizenship, which meant he could barely earn enough to care for his family.
“When we arrived at the border in Renk, we had nothing. No identity documents,” Ufo recounted. “I felt like all the years I had spent building a life as a pharmacist in Sudan, my business, possessions, and status had vanished overnight,” he said.
Ufo’s story is similar to that of thousands of South Sudanese refugees who were living in Sudan and had to return to South Sudan to escape the fighting. While some are returning to a place they once called home, many are coming to the country for the first time, with limited access to essential services due to the lack of documentation. Without official identity, access to banking, the ability to enroll children in school, secure employment, or even obtain a mobile SIM card is an uphill task.
To help families like Ufo’s, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners including the Government of South Sudan are working to ensure access to identity documents, which can be time-consuming and very expensive for returnees.
“My family and I were assisted in filling the forms and guided through the registration process. With this identity card, I can now access healthcare, buy a SIM card, my children can now go to school, and I can start my business afresh without problems,” Ufo said. “We feel like we now belong in the community we live in,” he added.
Funded by the European Union Directorate-General for International Partnerships (EU-INTPA) and with support from the government’s Department of Civil Registry, over 31,010 South Sudanese returnees have been supported with civil documentation and nationality certification from 2023 to 2025.
“Due to the long period and multiple displacements, many South Sudanese did not get an opportunity to access their legal identity rights but are now discovering that without proof of who they are, they cannot fully rebuild their lives. Nationality is not a privilege; it is a right. For South Sudanese returnees and internally displaced persons, access to nationality documentation is the key that unlocks protection, dignity, and full participation in rebuilding their nation. Supporting nationality issuance for returnees and IDPs is an investment in stability, inclusion, and peace. Without legal identity, recovery remains incomplete,” said Kumi Lobson Paul, Associate Protection Officer.
This is why helping returnees like Michael obtain nationality certificates and national identity cards is so vital – these documents open the door to healthcare, schooling for their children, work, financial services, and participation in community life.
UNHCR is working closely with the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport & Immigration (under the Ministry of Interior), and other partners to ensure that those at risk of statelessness are documented, included in national systems, and able to enjoy the protection and dignity that come with a legal identity.”
Nearly three years since the conflict started in Sudan, over 1.2 million people have crossed into South Sudan, of whom 800,000 are South Sudanese.
Since 2012, UNHCR has partnered with the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport & Immigration (DRCNPI) under the Ministry of Interior through Partnership Framework Agreements (PFAs) to support the issuance of the nationality certificates. Since the commencement of the project, more than 60,000 vulnerable returnees and IDPs have been issued with nationality.
UNHCR continues to advocate for the inclusion of refugees, IDPs and returnees into national systems, to facilitate sustainable and solutions-oriented programming.
Read original: https://www.unhcr.org/africa/news/stories/how-south-sudanese-refugees-fleeing-conflict-sudan-are-reclaiming-their-identity-south