South Sudan “arrivals” in the White Nile (Sudan) – Not citizens, not IDPs, not Refugees: What are they?

This paper discusses the living conditions of the so called “arrivals,”1 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, most of whom now reside in the White Nile State (58 %) and in Khartoum (23 %), and the rest of which live in different parts of Sudan. The focus of this paper, however, is on those who live in the White Nile State. It is no longer possible to apply the conventional perspectives used in refugee studies to understand the complex situation of South Sudanese “arrivals” in Sudan. It is also not possible to apply the terms usually used to describe and define refugees, IDPs, asylum seekers, the stateless, and “other people of concern,” to analyze the conditions of these “arrivals,” as they do not fall in any of these categories.

This paper was originally published by the Chr. Michelsen Institute.