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South Sudan's ambassador to Uganda Simon Juach Deng has reiterated his country's call to her citizens who are living as refugees in Uganda to return home.

Deng said the security situation back in South Sudan has greatly improved since the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement in 2018.

"Our next step is the elections for South Sudanese to decide who will lead them for the next five years. That will not be determined when people are not at home," he said.

He added that they are appreciative to the government and the people of Uganda for the hospitality that has enabled South Sudanese to make Uganda a second home, but noted that the country is also in need of skilled personnel to contribute to the productivity in that country.

"We, therefore, urge our people, especially those that have settled in urban centres in Uganda to voluntarily return home."

He was speaking at the South Sudan embassy in Kampala on Thursday as the Archbishop of the Gulu Roman Catholic Church, Dr John Baptist Odama, paid a courtesy to the embassy.

Sudan is making arrangements for the smooth resettlement of their people, religious and cultural leaders have been identified as a critical player in this process.

"We want to make sure this crucial step is undertaken in a free and fair manner, " Deng said.

Speaking at the event, Odama noted that as religious and cultural leaders, their outcry is peace and harmony.

"Our purpose is also to promote our solidarity between South Sudan and Uganda, " he said.

John Bosco Komakech Aludi, the director of Caritas at the Gulu Archdiocese said their involvement is to facilitate consensus among all political and social components that guarantees the return of South Sudan to order and peace.

South Sudan gained independence in 2011 after a referendum in which its people voted overwhelmingly to secede from Sudan. Independence was the culmination of a long armed struggle waged by South Sudanese starting in the mid-1950s.

However, a civil war following the Independence has caused a lot of havoc, causing many Sudanese to flee the country. The war broke out in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar and 10 others of attempting a coup d'état.