Sudan, southern rebels appeal for funds to help refugees return home

KHARTOUM, July 14 (AFP) — The Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement have appealed for funds to support internally displaced people in the south who have began to return to their homes, according to a statement received by AFP here Thursday.

This followed the signing by the two sides in Nairobi on July 13 of a policy framework for the return of displaced persons.

The statement said “the people are returning already. This is increasing pressure on communities that receive them. Furthermore, groups of people are finding themselves stranded on the way.”

It said the government, the SPLM and the United Nations “are concerned at the very low level of financial support made available to date in support of population return and integration.

“We call upon the donor community to immediately make available funding to support” the framework.