Sudan hosts about 100,000 Syrians, says refugee commission
October 10, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the estimates from Sudan’s Commission of Refugees (COR) indicate the country has received 100,000 Syrian refugees since 2011.
In its latest weekly bulletin, OCHA pointed out that only 5,515 Syrian refugees have been jointly registered by the COR and UN High Commissioner for by the end of August 2016.
According to OCHA, “UNHCR provides registered Syrian refugees with access to the same services and assistance as other registered refugees living in Khartoum, including targeted financial assistance issued through ATM cards for those who are identified as extremely vulnerable”.
It pointed that main concerns of Syrian refugees pertain to “economic hardship, including accommodation and living costs, lack of access to income-generating opportunities, and lack of access to psychosocial support particularly for children”.
Unofficial estimates say the number of the Syrians in Sudan has exceeded 250,000 refugees.
The current policy of the Sudanese government is to receive all Syrian nationals coming to the country with no visa required for entry. Syrians are granted access to state health and education services.
The majority of refuegees have settled in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum and have become integrated into urban host communities, including an older pre-existing Syrian community.
Last May, the UNHCR provided $ 10 million to the government of Sudan in support to the Syrian refugees.