Two thousand displaced moving home from Khartoum

About 2,000 displaced southern Sudanese who have been living in Khartoum are on their way home in a convoy of barges, proceeding along the Nile river towards Juba, Bor and Adok, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). "In the past we have witnessed a migration south at this time of year for the harvest season," said Lara Melo, a WFP spokeswoman, "but this year the numbers are three times as large as normal, and they say they are going home to stay". The displaced told WFP staff that they were moving south for a number of reasons, including the lack of employment opportunities in the capital, harassment due to the brewing of alcohol, and because of the prospects of peace in Sudan. Humanitarian sources told IRIN it was not the first of Sudan's internally displaced to move home because of the impending peace agreement, but it was probably the largest group to do so in such an organised manner. The convoy of 45 commercial and military barges departed from Kosti, about 300 km south of Khartoum, on 29 October and arrived in Malakal five days later. There the passangers were given a two-week food ration by WFP to last them for the rest of the journey. The two thousand passengers began to arrive in Kosti as early as the beginning of September to wait for the barges, where they camped in a warehouse in poor conditions. Humanitarian sources told IRIN that sanitation on the barges was very limited, with little space for each person as well as the possibility of people falling overboard en route. There was only one military doctor accompanying the convoy, and no medicines were available. Both the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army and the government have said that once a peace agreement has been signed, a key priority will be the return of Sudan's 3 million to 4 million displaced to their homes. Both sides are keen for the IDPs to return - most are from areas in southern Sudan - before a population census is held, as well as elections and a referendum on self-determination for the south.