People with missing loved ones display placards with messages of solidarity and hope during commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared on Friday in Juba.

The effects of years of war are still being felt by many families in South Sudan despite the silencing of the guns following the signing of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

As South Sudan joined the rest of the world on August 30, 2024 to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared, Jacob Tut Malou Kuoth, 54, who fled conflict in 2013, from his home in northern Unity state, is still in anguish over the whereabouts of two of his relatives who remain missing to date.

Malou who still lives in one of the protection of civilian sites in Juba, told The Juba Echo on Friday, that he lives with trauma and pain everyday due to the disappearance of his relatives since outbreak of conflict in December 2013

“I have two people who went missing since 2013; two of them are my cousins Gatkuoth Yoal Kuoth and Koang Nyapar Kuoth who were working for the same company in Nesitu near Juba,” Malou said.

According to the International Committee of the Red of the Red Cross (ICRC), a total of 11,000 missing persons have been recorded since South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011. And of these about 5,000 people have been reunited with their families while the remaining 6,000 are still missing.

“We have not seen them dead or alive, the two were working for one company and they were all residing in Jebel. We cannot blame the government on what happened, but it is painful to see close relatives missing and we still hope that the ICRC will help trace the two if they are still alive,” Malou said.

Angelina Ibalu, a39-year-old mother of 7 who resides in Don Bosco camp for internally displaced persons in Juba, said she and her family members are still unaware of the whereabouts of her in-law Peter Loliga who went missing in 2013 in Bentiu town of Unity State.

Loliga was among the South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) soldiers deployed in Abiemnom     area to fight rebels.

“We have searched for him but in vain, the government has not also found him, and our hope now is with the South Sudan Red Cross to trace him,” Ibalu said.

“Imagine my first child who was born during that time is now a grown up, I still call on the government to help us because we miss the support that he would have provided to us if he was with us such as paying school fees,” she added.

Joyce Tabu Peter,a 34-year-old mother of 5 from the Shirikat suburb of Juba, the void left by her uncle Samuel John who went missing in 2013 is impacting immensely on his family.

John who was a serving SSPDF soldier was deployed in Malakal town of Upper Nile State when he went missing. He left behind three kids and a wife, who are now residing in one of the refugee camps in neighboring Uganda.

“In 2018, we reported the case to the South Sudan Red Cross but we did not get feedback on whereabouts to date, my message is that if he is alive somewhere he needs to show up, we miss him so much, we miss his love and his responsibilities in the family,” Tabu said.

Florence Gillette, Head of Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in South Sudan, said that each year in the world countless persons go missing due to armed conflict, violence, natural disasters or migration.

“In South Sudan years of conflict, violence and some cases serious flooding have torn many families apart leaving many in doubt and endless anguish about the fate of the whereabouts of their loved ones,” she said.

 Gillette disclosed that this uncertainty brings immense pain to the families and communities creating a profound sense of loss while some find ways to move forward, with the hope that one day their missing loved ones will return home.

“The wish of being reunited keeps them going even when the hardship and suffering feel unbearable,” she said.

Gillette said that the South Sudan Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is working under the restoring family links (RFL) to help families who have been separated to reconnect with their loved ones, adding that they are also providing vital support to help the affected families to cope with the daily challenges that come with such separation and absence.

“In recent years both the South Sudan Red cross and ICRC have implemented an accompaniment program offering psychological support sessions for families of the missing in Juba and Wau, and this will soon be extended to families in Malakal,” she said.

 John Lobor, Secretary General of the South Sudan Red Cross, said the situation of the missing persons and separation of families was exacerbated by the 2013 and 2016 conflicts.

“We have also witnessed a surge in population movement into South Sudan, as a consequence of the conflict in Sudan. This has put pressure on the demand for the restoration of family services as people seek for information for their loved ones, who have gone missing or separated as a result of the conflict that broke out in Sudan in April 2023,” Lobor said.

In 2024, the ministry of humanitarian affairs and disaster management in South Sudan finalized the draft of the missing persons bill and submitted it to the ministry of justice and constitutional affairs for review.

This bill aims to safe guard the rights of missing persons and their families ensuring they receive essential support throughout the search process.