Sudan’s cabinet to approve tripartite agreement on refugees return to Darfur
January 21, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Ministry of Interior on Sunday said the governance and administration sector at the Council of Ministers have approved the tripartite agreement on the voluntary return of Sudanese refugees from Chad.
On 31 May 2017, Sudan, Chad and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) signed two separate tripartite agreements on the voluntary return of Sudanese refugees from Chad and Chadian refugees from Sudan.
The agreements provide that any repatriation should be voluntary and on the basis of well-informed consent.
The semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) has quoted the State Minister of Interior Babiker Ahmed Digna as saying the governance and administration sector would submit the agreement to the Council of Ministers for approval and then it would be lodged at the parliament for final endorsement.
He pointed out that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has promised to visit the Gulf States to raise funds for refugees return.
The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict, and over 2.5 million were displaced.
The UNHCR estimates there are 317,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad, while Sudan hosts 8,500 Chadian refugees.
On the other hand, IOM says last year 113,790 people have returned to Darfur, of whom 90 percent were refugee returnees from Chad.
(ST)