South Sudan is currently facing a complex humanitarian crisis characterized by extensive internal displacements. The underlying causes of these displacement dynamics are varied and include communal clashes, flooding, insecurity, violence, natural disasters, and cross-border movements.

In the month of September 2024, enumerators from the Displacement Tracking Matrix documented significant flood-induced displacements affecting 44,497 individuals. The majority of these displacements occurred in Northern Bahr el Ghazal where 14,455 individuals were displaced to Aweil East, 9,030 to Aweil North and 3,950 to Aweil West. Additionally, 9,914 individuals were displaced to Abyei Administrative Area, while Jonglei and Western Bahr el Ghazal saw 6,500 and 648 individuals displaced to Fangak and Jur River, respectively.

The effect of these displacements calls for urgent humanitarian intervention among the affected population. Those who have been displaced identified their most pressing requirements as being in dire need of food, health and shelter.

In South Sudan, a multifaceted humanitarian crisis is currently unfolding, driven by a combination of factors including communal conflicts, land disputes, widespread insecurity, violence, natural disasters, and cross-border displacement. These elements have created a challenging environment for the population, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation. The ongoing instability has led to significant disruptions in livelihoods and access to basic services, leaving many communities vulnerable and in urgent need of assistance.

In the month of September 2024, Juba, Fangak, Fashoda, and Wau Counties witnessed the arrival of 6,236 returnees. All these individuals returned as a result of the ongoing crisis in Sudan. This movement highlights the impact of the ongoing Sudan conflict, forcing thousands to flee and seek safety. While returnees are hopeful about reintegrating into their communities, they might face significant challenges in rebuilding their lives after prolonged displacement, compounded by the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

MTM implements the Return Migrants Survey in Kyrgyzstan with international return migrants in various locations including seven regions and two cities. The selection of survey locations was informed by the findings of MTM’s Baseline Mobility Assessment (BMA) on return migrants. The survey questionnaire drew upon IOM's previous studies in Central Asia and consultations with both internal and external experts. It covered a range of topics including socio-economic profiles, migration experiences, employment status, remittances, as well as identifying needs and vulnerabilities.

In the third round of the survey (conducted from May to July 2024), 1,734 return migrants were interviewed. The key findings reveal significant insights into their circumstances. The majority of return migrants, 79 per cent, came from the Russian Federation. Moreover, 41 per cent of the respondents reported having attained an upper secondary education level, while 37 per cent of the respondents identified themselves as the primary breadwinners for their families. Moreover, a notable portion, 90 per cent, stated they either live in their own or their parents' houses. The majority, 23 per cent of the return migrants, were previously engaged in the construction sector. In addition, 30 per cent of the return migrants indicated that they wanted to permanently stay in Kyrgyzstan without any intended plans for re-migration.

This information was gathered following attacks that occurred on 4th October in the municipality of Saint Marc, in the 5th communal section of Bocozelle, precisely in the locality of Pont-Sondé. This report is an update of the one that was published on 4th October (ETT 49). A total of 6,742 individuals (1,414 households) were displaced as a result of these attacks. These individuals sought refuge in the municipalities of Saint Marc, Montrouis, Verretes, La Chapelle and Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite, with 78% of them staying with relatives as host families, while 22% in 6 separate sites including 3 sites that was opened at the beginning of displacement and 3 created after the publication of the first report on this situation.

As of September 2024, 3,187,793 individuals have been displaced, including 2,616,570 internally displaced persons (82% of the displaced population) and 571,223 refugees (18% of the displaced population). Sixty-six per cent of the displaced populations (2,101,962 individuals) were located in Burkina Faso, while 14 per cent resided in Mali (451,844 individuals), 11 per cent in Niger (352,718 individuals) and 4 per cent in Mauritania (136,954 individuals). The crisis’ recent spill over to coastal countries, namely Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin, shows growing number of refugees coming from the Central Sahel and populations internally displaced. As of September, 144,315 individuals were affected by displacement within the four countries (25,929 in Benin, 59,937 in Côte d’Ivoire, 7,242 in Ghana and 51,207 in Togo) of which 34,088 were internally displaced.

As of September 2024, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria were hosting an estimated 6,069,325 affected individuals made up of internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (former IDPs and returnees from abroad) and refugees (both in- and out-of-camp). Thirteen per cent of the affected population (778,301  individuals) were located in Cameroon, while 5 per cent resided in Chad (294,715 individuals), 9 per cent in Niger (558,872 individuals) and finally, 73 per cent in Nigeria (4,437,437 individuals). Overall, the numbers show a sharp increase in returnees from abroad (+45%) and slight decreases in IDPs (-1%), returnees former IDPs (-5%) and refugees (-1%) since December 2023.

As of September 2024, 3,991,898 individuals were affected, including 455,533 internally displaced persons (12% of the displaced population), 2,256,970 returnees former IDPs (56%), 531,919 returnees from abroad (13%) and 747,476 refugees (19%). In the CAR, the largest displaced population consists of former IDP returnees. Refugees from the CAR are primarily hosted by Cameroon (308,891 individuals, or 44% of the refugees), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (208,484 individuals, or 30% of the refugees) and Chad (138,542 individuals, or 20% of the refugees). Nonetheless, 11,008 refugees from the Central African Republic are still living in Sudan (2% of the refugees). The country is also home for refugees from neighbouring countries, hosting a total of 43,393 refugees coming from Sudan (29,070 individuals), the DRC (6,505 individuals), Chad (4,951 individuals) and South Soudan (2,867 individuals).

Since October 8 there has been an increase in cross-border incidents between Israel and Lebanon, resulting in the displacement of people both within the South and elsewhere within the country. Since October 10, the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) has been conducting the daily monitoring of population movements. The objective of the exercise is to inform preparedness and response planning.

DTM Flow Monitoring, conducted by IOM Afghanistan, is designed to provide insights into the mobility patterns at Afghanistan’s border points with the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan. This activity involves two interlinked exercises: Flow Monitoring Counting (FMC), which monitors the number of movements across the border, and Flow Monitoring Surveys (FMS), which collect data on the profiles of randomly selected Afghan nationals crossing the border including documentation held, reasons for travel, and the intended period of stay/ travel. It is important to note that DTM collects information on total movements at a given border point, not the number of unique individuals entering or leaving the country. As a result, if one individual both left and re-entered Afghanistan during the reporting period, this would count as one outflow movement and one inflow movement. Movements can be attributed to a wide variety of reasons, including returnees coming back to Afghanistan after living abroad, people visiting family, deportees, those travelling for economic reasons, medical patients, students, or Afghans moving abroad for different reasons. Circular movements, which include those who frequently and regularly travel back and forth across the border for trade and other reasons, are also common. This monitoring offers a clear picture of population movements in and out of the country. 

DTM FM is operational at four main crossing points (connected to Afghanistan’s National Highway) as well as six other crossing points with Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan. This weekly snapshot combines information from the FM activity and various IOM sources related to cross-border movement. For a detailed explanation of the methodology used in gathering this data, the report directs readers to the section titled “IOM INFLOW DATA” on the last page.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Pakistan’s FM provides key insights into the overall migration trends of Afghan nationals returning to Afghanistan, as well as an overview of the profiles of Afghan returnees and their mobility patterns, exploring routes, vulnerabilities, demographics and social characteristics. Between 16 and 30 September, DTM border monitors (BMs) interviewed 473 heads of households through a Flow Monitoring Registry (FMR) form, while 10,657 Afghan returnees were identified through five border crossing points.

HIGHLIGHTS

• During this reporting period, DTM teams have observed a decrease of 11 per cent in returns compared to the first two weeks of September 2024.
• Cumulatively, from 15 September 2023, 734,817 individuals have returned to Afghanistan. Thirty-three per cent (243,926 individuals) of this total have returned since 1 January 2024.
• Most of the returnees are undocumented Afghans (80%), followed by PoR holders (18%) and ACC holders (2%).
• Compared to previous reporting periods, more returning Afghan nationals were identified as vulnerable (3%).