After 21 Years of Displacement, South Sudanese Family Finds New Hope Through Rwanda’s ETM

On a bright afternoon at the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) centre in Gashora, southern Rwanda, 41-year-old Achul carefully folded her clothes and packed the few belongings that carried the weight of a lifetime spent in exile. Just outside her shelter, her daughter laughed as she put the final touches on her hair and makeup. After 11 months in Gashora, the family was preparing for a long-awaited journey, one that would take them to France.

“I’m so happy today, I can’t even express how happy I am,” Achul said as she walked toward a waiting coaster, surrounded by friends bidding her farewell. “We’re going to France. We’ll get treatment from the best doctors and finally relax mentally, emotionally, and physically.”

For Achul and her two children, the departure in mid-November 2025 marked the end of a 21-year search for safety and stability. Originally from Abyei, a region in South Sudan long scarred by conflict, her life has been defined by displacement and loss.

A long journey to safety

Achul fled South Sudan more than two decades ago, seeking refuge in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, where she spent 12 years. From there, she moved with her family to Egypt, hoping to rebuild her life. Instead, tragedy struck again.

“While we were in Egypt, I lost all my siblings and my mother,” she recalled. Overwhelmed by grief and hardship, she made the difficult decision to leave once more, this time heading to Libya.

Libya, however, offered little refuge. “I felt like I was tied up in a bag. I was still suffering,” Achul said. She spent four months sleeping on the streets and a fifth month in detention. “There was no normal life for us.”

A ray of hope

It was in Libya that Achul connected with an organization supporting refugees. After hearing her story, the organization registered her and her children and later invited her for an interview. Months after her release from detention, she received life-changing news: she would be evacuated to Rwanda through the Emergency Transit Mechanism.

“When I heard that I was coming to Rwanda, I was over the moon,” she said. “I kept saying, ‘The Lord hasn’t forgotten me yet.’”

Achul arrived in Rwanda in December 2024 and was hosted at the ETM centre in Gashora. Established in 2019 by the Government of Rwanda, the African Union and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and supported by partners including the European Union, the centre provides temporary shelter and lifesaving assistance to refugees evacuated from Libya.

During their stay, evacuees receive access to healthcare, psychosocial support, and livelihood training while their refugee status is processed and durable solutions such as resettlement are identified.

Rebuilding for the future

At Gashora, Achul took part in skills-building activities, including driving and tailoring, which she hopes will help her rebuild her life in France.

“My plans are to study, to learn and to work,” she said. “I genuinely love work. I don’t like someone feeding me. And I hope my children will study.”

Since its establishment, the ETM centre in Gashora has evacuated 2,760 people from Libya to Rwanda. As of December 15, 2025, 2,535 of them had departed for third countries through resettlement, while 15 others had left through complementary pathways.

As Achul boarded the bus that would take her family to the next chapter of their journey, the years of uncertainty finally gave way to hope, a hope rooted in safety, dignity, and the chance to begin again.