Sudanese presidency calls for registration of South Sudanese refugees
December 9, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese presidency has instructed aid agencies to register and determine the increasing number of South Sudanese refugees in Sudan.
Khartoum since the start of South Sudanese crisis last December refuses to describe them as refugees saying they will be treated like the Sudanese citizens and are free to settle where they want, but the UN says description of the fleeing southerners as refugees would enable them to secure the necessary funding from donors.
Sudan’s vice president, Hassabo Mohamed Abdel-Rahman, who met with the state minister of interior, Babiker Digna, underscored the need for coordination between the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), the Sudanese Refugees Commission (SRC) and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) to register and support South Sudanese refugees.
In press statements following the meeting, Digna said that he had briefed the vice-president on the support provided by the UNHCR, saying it is currently estimated at $4 million and they expect to receive another $7 million.
The UN asked the international donors to provide $48 million to meet the needs of the influx of South Sudanese refugees but the move requires the launch of a joint appeal for humanitarian aid between the UN and the host country in order to get humanitarian assistance.
Digna pointed out that the foreign ministry will register the South Sudanese refugees while the SRCS will implement the work.
In its 30 November bulletin, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the UNHCR has registered and verified an estimated 111,000 refugees from South Sudan who have sought shelter in Sudan since fighting erupted in South Sudan in mid-December 2013.
However, HAC reported on 23 November that there are now 205,000 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan.
Sudan already hosts some 350,000 South Sudanese citizens who have remained there after the independence in July 2011.
(ST)