Voluntary return commissioner visits 3 villages in West Darfur
February 6, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Darfur Commissioner for Voluntary Return, Taj al-din Ibrahim al-Tahir has visited three voluntary return villages in the locality of Habeela, West Darfur State.
During his visit on Monday, al-Tahir inspected the conditions of the returnees in the villages of Tulus, Hamida and Dilaiso in the locality of Habeela.
He pointed out that the returnees have hailed the field work of the commission, saying they have identified the basic needs and demands of the returnees.
The commissioner vowed to provide the basic services for the returnees, saying security has been established in Darfur following the implementation of the disarmament campaign.
Al-Tahir said he would meet with the refugee commission, UN agencies and the local and foreign aid groups on Monday to discuss ways to provide the basic services to the returnee villages.
For several years, the government sought to dismantle Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps that have been established in areas around the capitals of Darfur’s five states after the eruption of the armed conflict in the region.
Since the signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in July 2011, the government constructed several villages and vowed to support IDPs who return to their home areas.
However, the return of displaced persons and refugees remains the main challenge for the Sudanese government. There are 2.7 people living in protracted displacement camps since 2003 despite the relative improvement of the security situation.
In a recent report released on 5 February, UNOCHA estimates that are about 386,000 returnees in Sudan conflict areas including Darfur and the Two Areas.
(ST)