Unity

When floods struck Rubkona, Nyekerekne Gatwech Gai took her children to Sudan in search of safety. But when conflict broke out there, she returned home only to find her land still underwater. For months, her family stayed in Bentiu IDP camp. Today, thanks to dykes and water drained by IOM and partners, the land is dry again, and Nyekerekne is rebuilding her life after displacement. 2025. IOM/Amber Christino

 

→ 474K IDPs in Unity
→ 276K IDPs in camps and displacement sites 
→ 189K returnees in Unity

 

With its nine counties, Unity is the state in South Sudan sheltering the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs). In 2025, over 474,000 people are internally displaced across the state, the majority of whom are concentrated in Rubkona County and Bentiu town. Unity is home to the country’s largest IDP camp (Bentiu IDP Camp), which alone shelters over 109,000 people. Other sizeable groups are present across Panyijiar, Mayom, Koch, Leer, Mayendit and Guit counties. Many of the IDPs have lived in a protracted situation for years on end, displaced by conflict since the period between 2013 and 2016. 

Unity is at the forefront of the climate crisis. Since 2019, recurrent flooding has submerged vast areas of land, destroyed and livelihoods, and rendered many areas uninhabitable. In 2025, flooding across South Sudan affected over 1 million people, with Unity and Jonglei states accounting for 87 per cent of those impacted. 

Return movements have been modest, with over 189,000 returnees, from within the country and abroad, reported as of 2025. According to an Intention Survey conducted in Bentiu IDP camp in March 2025, nearly 38 per cent of the camp residents surveyed expressed an interest in returning, while nearly four per cent cited their interest in local integration. Common concerns include insecurity, flooding, unresolved Housing, Land and Property (HLP) issues as well as a lack of essential services in their places of origin.

 

Caption: Floodwater surrounding the Bentiu IDP camp, South Sudan's largest displacement camp. November 2025. RCO/Madevi Sun-Suon


Solutions roadmap in progress

A roadmap for solutions for Unity is under development, structured as a three-phased approach that distinguishes between Bentiu/Pakur urban expansion and relocation planning, and other return areas to allow for tailored activities. The process for its development has been inclusive of community input, with focus group discussions organized for both the displaced and host communities, including women and youth groups. 

Unity’s priorities for 2025–2026 include the expansion of livelihoods interventions such as start-up grants, savings groups and climate-adaptive farming pilots, as well as the provision of temporary safety and security in relocation and return areas. Priority initiatives also include the Pakur Settlement Plan (5-kilometer squares reclaimed from flooded land), and the reclamation of additional settlement areas in Bentiu South to support returnees. 

Coordination is anchored in the Area-Based Coordination (ABC) Forum, co-chaired by State ABC and UNMISS Head of Field Office, the Inter-Ministerial Council for Solutions chaired by the Governor, and State Solutions Task Force (SSTF), co-chaired by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) and the Area-Based Coordinator.

 

Caption: “When the flood came, it took everything – my home, my cattle, my chickens, even my garden,” recalls Peter Riem Lang, a community leader in Bentiu. The 2021 floods devastated his community, leaving deep scars. With support from partners, IOM constructed dykes and pumped out water to help families like Peter’s reclaim their land and rebuild their lives. 2025. IOM/Amber Christino


For more information:

Abebe Melaku Gebremichael, Area-Based Coordinator for Unity, mgebremichael@iom.int 

 

<< Back to Durable Solutions Hub

Related Content

Goals we are supporting through this initiative

Background Documents

Return to Our Work