Stranded returnees in Renk in the northernmost part of South Sudan expect to be transported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday. Barges will leave the port town destined for Juba carrying more than 800 people, returnees said.

The returnees in Renk came to South Sudan from Sudan many months ago but have been stranded at Mina Camp in Renk owing to lack of onward transportation. They are among roughly 125,000 South Sudanese who came back to their country from the north this year.

“We are now still uploading luggage and then we will begin procedures of movement so that we can take off,” a refugee called Sultan John told Radio Tamazuj on Monday. Yesterday the number of IDPs going was 800 and they want 1100, but we did not yet reach this number,” John said.

IOM in collaboration with the Internally Displaced Persons Commission are working to resume transporting 1100 IDPs to Greater Equatoria. Several thousand other returnees have elected to remain in Renk, especially in Abayok Camp on the western outskirts of the town. The local government has discouraged this, however.

According to Sultan John, his group has been in Renk since July 2012. He explained that IDPs in general, and women and children in particular, have been living in what he described as “difficult conditions and health situation.” He added that they have been depending on NGOs for aid and because of this situation their children could not go to schools.

A few months ago IOM announced that it was suspending the work of transporting IDPs and refugees from Sudan to their respective locations in South Sudan and elsewhere due to lack of funds.