Sudan demands UN to provide additional funds for refugees
August 14, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government on Monday has demanded the United Nations to provide the adequate funds to cover the expenses of hundreds of thousands of refugees hosted by the country.
According to the UN, Sudan hosts 110,000 Eritrean refugees, 400,000 South Sudanese refugees and more than 100,000 Syrian refugees.
Sudan’s Minister of International Cooperation Idris Sulieman on Monday has met with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative for Sudan Noriko Yoshida.
During the meeting, the Sudanese minister discussed with the UN official the “need to provide the necessary budget from the international community to cover the requirements of the refugees in Sudan”.
He stressed the importance to provide training for the refugees and raise their awareness as wells as improving camps environment and providing integrated social services to them, saying the refugees pose further pressure on existing resources.
Sulieman demanded the international community to provide the necessary support and assistance to Sudan as the country hosts large numbers of refugees and provides them with shelter and allows them to move freely.
For her part, Yoshida underscored the need to count and register the foreigners residing in Sudan.
Last May, the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir disclosed his country is hosting about two million refugees and asylum seekers.
MEETING WITH THE IOM
Meanwhile, Sulieman has discussed with the head of the mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Sudan, Mario Leto Malanka progress made in addressing migration issues in Sudan.
Malanka pointed out his mission receives funds from donor countries to support and implement development projects to serve refugees in the host countries.
He hailed the cooperation of the Sudanese government in providing shelter, food and social services to migrants.
The meeting also discussed the outcome of the 2014 ministerial conference on migration issues which was held in coordination with the African Union and a number of host nations.
(ST)