South Sudan: Finding Loved Ones Again Through the Power of Digital Connectivity

“We have many pending cases under follow-up,” said ICRC Deputy Protection Coordinator, Talent Moyo. “In some cases, searches must be conducted in areas our teams cannot access, which delays the process. At the same time, telecommunications networks are often disrupted, preventing families from contacting relatives even when they have their phone numbers,” he explained.

Moyo added that with the arrival in South Sudan of the Starlink technology, the ICRC saw an opportunity to use digital connectivity to strengthen family tracing services.

“I am glad I was able to communicate with my brother, uncle and other relatives in Khartoum,” 

said Ikram Mahjoub, an 18-year-old Sudanese lady, who had been particularly concerned about her brother, who chose to stay in war-ravaged Khartoum. “I learned about his condition and the general situation in the country,” she added, after using the new service.

Internet access in South Sudan remains among the lowest in the region. During times of conflict or crisis, disruptions in connectivity can further isolate families already separated by violence and displacement. Previously, the ICRC relied mainly on Thuraya satellite phones.

These devices were expensive, allowed only one user at a time, and limited calls to three minutes to allow more people to access the service. They were also only useful when families already had a working phone number for their relatives. With the increasing availability of high-speed internet through Starlink services, ICRC can deploy a system that supports large groups of users simultaneously.

ICRC teams visit the refugee settlement once a month to offer the service, which involves distributing coupons with usernames and passwords. These unique credentials enable users to login and connect their personal devices – smart phones, tablets, etc - to the internet and search for missing relatives or reconnect with loved ones on their own.

The system allows many people to connect to the network at the same time, making it easier for large groups of displaced people to search for and connect with their families,"

said Amit Dhar, ICRC Coordinator in charge of Information and Communication Technology, after launching the service at the Gorom Refugee Settlement earlier this year.