Sudan’s Umma leader urges refugees to halt Cairo sit-in

Dec 23, 2005 (CAIRO) — Sudan’s Umma Party Leader Sadiq al-Mahdi reiterated his calls for Sudanese refugees to halt a three-month sit-in in Cairo.

Al-Mahdi’s office in Cairo issued a statement urging the estimated 3,000 refugees to immediately halt their protest outside the offices of the UN refugees agency UNHCR.

The prominent Sudanese politician had earlier failed to solve the crisis, as the protesters demand that the UN resettle them elsewhere, the Egyptian MENA said.

Some want to move to the West, while others just hope for better conditions.

Al-Mahdi urged the protesters to accept the agreement with the UNHCR, saying it is the best deal so far to improve their conditions.

Under its current deal, the agency offers interviews on refugee status and one-off financial assistance for housing.

A UN official reportedly said the talks had broken down because it did not have the power to guarantee that their demands would be met.

(ST)