Hiding in plain sight: IDP’s protection strategies after closing Juba’s protection of civilian sites

When civil war broke out in South Sudan in 2013, people from the Nuer minority ethnic group became targeted by government forces and sought protection in United Nations peace-keeping bases which expanded and became known as Protection of Civilian sites (PoCs). In 2020, responsibility for these sites was handed over to the transitional unity government despite protests from human rights groups and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and lack of a clear plan to address security and basic needs. This article describes both the history of events around this transition as well as how life changed for camp residents after this handover, particularly the decrease in security inside and outside the camps, the strategies IDPs have adopted to hide their ethnic identities and how this affects IDPs’ hopes, plans and participation in civic life.