A/HRC/40/CRP.1 as refugees to neighbouring countries226 and 1.9 million people internally displaced. 227 South Sudan is currently the world’s third largest refugee crisis after the Syrian Arab Republic and Afghanistan, and is Africa’s largest refugee crisis since the Rwandan genocide in 1994, almost 25 years ago.228 a) Refugees More than 2.2 million South Sudanese are seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, with approximately a third in Uganda and a third in Sudan and the remainder in Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic.229 Encouragingly, there has been a decrease in new arrivals in neighbouring countries in the second half of 2018,230 apparently corresponding with the decrease in hostilities following the signing of the Khartoum Declaration and the R-ARCSS. This has resulted in estimates for the end of 2018 being reduced from the initial estimate of 3.14 million refugees down to 2.64 million.231 Although the decreasing numbers of new refugees is encouraging, it remains, and will continue to remain for some time, a crisis situation.232 Refugees have cited the security situation, including fears of recruitment, hunger, and disease as the primary driving factors. 233 Even as the security situation improves, there continues to be insecurity in some areas and the country continues to face serious food insecurity. Displaced persons, particularly women and children, continue to be very vulnerable. Around 85 per cent of South Sudanese refugees in the region are women and children, with 63 percent of refugees under the age of 18.234 Almost 50,000 South Sudanese refugee children are unaccompanied or separated from their parents. 235 Many of the children have been displaced multiple times, have been the victims and witnesses of horrific human rights violations, and have been separated from their families. Even if the security situation eases and begins to allow people to return, many will find their homes destroyed by the fighting or taken over by other families since they left. The right to return will require systematic support will therefore need to continue for some time. In this regard, the Commission notes President Kiir’s directive announced on 10 December 2018 at a meeting of the National Security Committee Council that those occupying the houses of displaced people should immediately vacate them to allow the rightful owners to return home.236 While the statement was made in relation to IDPs, the same principle will need to also be applied to returning refugees. Furthermore, refugees will need to be included in reconciliation efforts and other transitional justice processes, as many of the ethnic and political tensions in South Sudan are 226 UNHCR, Regional overview of the South Sudanese refugee population, 2018 South Sudan Regional RRP, 31 October 2018. This number was revised downwards from almost 2.5 million as a result of a verification exercised in Uganda which decreased the numbers in Uganda from an estimated 1,073,125 at the end of Aguste to 785,104 at the end of October 2018. See UNHCR, Regional Update, South Sudan Situation 1-31 August 2018; UNHCR, Regional overview of the South Sudanese refugee population, 2018 South Sudan Regional RRP, 31 October 2018; Republic of Uganda, Office of the Prime Minister, UNHCR, WFP, Joint Press Release, OPM and UNHCR complete countrywide biometric refugee verification exercise, October 2018. 227 OCHA, Humanitarian Bulletin South Sudan, 18 January 2018, p. 2. 228 UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2017, 25 June 2018; UNHCR, Aid appeals seek over US$3 billion as South Sudan set to become Africa’s largest refugee and humanitarian crisis, 1 February 2018; 229 UNHCR, Regional overview of the South Sudanese refugee population, 2018 South Sudan Regional RRP, 30 November 2018. This number was revised downwards from almost 2.5 million as a result of a verification exercised in Uganda which decreased the numbers in Uganda from an estimated 1,073,125 at the end of Aguste to 785,104 at the end of October 2018. See UNHCR, Regional Update, South Sudan Situation 1-31 August 2018; UNHCR, Regional overview of the South Sudanese refugee population, 2018 South Sudan Regional RRP, 31 October 2018; Republic of Uganda, Office of the Prime Minister, UNHCR, WFP, Joint Press Release, OPM and UNHCR complete countrywide biometric refugee verification exercise, October 2018. 230 UNHCR, Regional overview of the South Sudanese refugee population, 2018 South Sudan Regional RRP, 30 November 2018. 231 UNHCR, South Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan, January 2019 - December 2020. 232 UNHCR, South Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan, January 2019 - December 2020. 233 OCHA, Humanitarian Bulletin South Sudan, 18 January 2018. 234 UNHCR, South Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan, January – December 2018, Revision July 2018. 235 UNHCR, South Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan, January 2019 - December 2020. 236 Sudan Tribune, South Sudan’s Kiir directs to vacate newcomers from IDPs land, 11 December 2018. 35