East Sudan

IOM teams are continuing to provide support to an on-going Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programme for former combatants in Eastern Sudan.

Thousands of former fighters are currently assembled in three camps located in Girbaand Kassala, Kassala State and in Karsogo, Port Sudan State, where they are being registered by IOM and its partners, the IOM newsletter reported today.

The programme, which is funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and carried out in close coordination with the National Commission on DDR, has over the past month registered a total of 1,332 former combatants, including 284 elderly and 153 disabled.

A further 224 minors have been registered by UNICEF. Prior to the registration process, IOM constructed and equipped registration offices in all three camps and provided medical screening to former combatants. HIV counselling was pro-vided by the National Commission on DDR.

Each registered ex-combatant has received a one-time cash grant of USD $250 and clothing from the National Commission as early reinsertion sup-port.

As part of the process, PACT Sudan, a partner NGO is currently carrying out a survey with IOM and UNDP support to evaluate the medium to long term needs of former combatants and their families, to help them reintegrate in the States of Ge-daref, Red Sea and Kassala.

Former combatants from the East-ern Sudan Front began laying down their arms following the sign-ing in October 2006 of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement.

The agreement, between members of the Eastern Front and the Government of National Unity, put an end to years of skir-mishes. IOM is currently carrying out DDR programmes in sev-eral parts of the world, including Afghanistan, Angola, Colombia and Indonesia.