UNHCR plans to repatriate million refugees in 2004
KHARTOUM, Nov. 07, 2003 (dpa) — The Sudan office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced a strategy Friday to repatriate refugees from Sudan to neighbouring countries and vice- versa.
UNHCR representative Ahmed Said Farah said conditions for the 347,847 refugees in Sudan were “improving in terms of health and other needs”.
He hoped the U.N. agency could close down its refugee centres in eastern Sudan by next year and said he would help Sudanese authorities run the centre once repatriation had been completed.
“I hope Sudanese people would benefit from these centres”, the representative noted.
Farah said that repatriation to Ethiopia and Eritrea had been hindered mainly by the current offensive along the Sudanese-Eritrean border and the crisis between Ethiopian and Eritrea. Refugees numbered 1,967.
Eritrea and Ethiopia have the highest number of refuges in Sudan. Eritrean refugees numbered 328,000 and Ethiopians 14,000, Farah said. The UNHCR expressed readiness to accept Sudanese refugees in Sudan itself once a peace agreement between the government and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLA) had been signed.
He pointed out that assisted and non-assisted Sudanese refugees in six neighbouring countries registered at 572,061. The repatriation programme also includes more than four million internally displaced Sudanese.
However, he said Uganda has 223,079, followed by Ethiopia with 88,194, Democratic Republic of Congo 69,473 and Kenya 59,500 in addition to Egypt 30,324 and Eritrea 661.
The UNHCR’s post-conflict strategy in southern Sudan would focus on integrating the returnees and helping them to live in peace with each other and the indigenous society.
The agency will also assist them with shelter, sanitation, water, health, education and income-generating projects. The agency would focus on establishing UNHCR offices in Juba, Malakal and Wau southern Sudan and offices in border areas.
Farah added that his organization would cooperate with other non- governmental organizations and in collaboration with the SPLM/A humanitarian aid commissioner.