This brief highlights the emerging problem of growing number of urban IDPs in Juba. It draws attention to their unique experiences and challenges which the COVID-19 has exacerbated owing to their already poor living conditions and lack of access to basic social services. The brief argues that urgent and bold actions need to be taken to ensure that urban IDPs are not left behind in South Sudan’s development agenda. In particular, it recommends that; (i) the measures adopted by the government in fighting COVID-19 needs to prioritise urban IDPs and urges coordination with aid agencies to ensure that risk communication strategies are tailored to their needs and circumstances; (ii) that the government ensure provision of basic food aid to cushion sudden loss in income due to disruptions in the economy caused by COVID-19 and to ensure that the most vulnerable amongst urban IDPs are protected. Finally, it emphasises the need for the government to support long term settlement in areas that are surveyed and safe for them.
By Igor Paulo Ubisse Capitine, Álvaro Marcela Manhiça, Willy Susse de Jesus Monjane, Ivan da Costa Tomás Jr and Paulo Salvador da Silva Tembe Jr | Apr 21, 2026
As global humanitarian funding declines and nationalist agendas gain prominence, internally displaced populations (IDPs) face growing health and social risks. Using Mozambique as a central case, this eighth paper in our series on ‘Internal Displacement in a Changing World Order’ examines how shifting political and financial dynamics are reshaping the social determinants of health for IDPs in contexts of recurrent displacement. In Mozambique, where conflict, climate-related hazards, and structural poverty make displacement predictable rather than exceptional, humanitarian assistance has been critical in saving lives but remains predominantly short-term and crisis-driven, failing to address the structural drivers of displacement, leaving many exposed to cumulative health and social vulnerability once emergency responses subside. The paper argues for a transition toward resilient, nationally led systems that integrate IDPs into inclusive health, social protection, and climate adaptation agendas, reframing displacement as a core health equity and development challenge rather than a temporary humanitarian concern.