HIGHLIGHTS
On 14 April, the first group of Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad returned home to North Darfur in Sudan.
Over 3,000 children from Jebel Marra assisted to take Grade 8 examinations.
The UN commemorated the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on 4 April.
The latest FPMA Bulletin by FAO reports that prices of wheat, mainly consumed in urban areas, declined in the capital, Khartoum, by more than 20 per cent in March with the ongoing harvest.
First convoy of Sudanese refugees from Chad
For the last 15 years, Adam El-Nour Abakar, 45 years old, was in exile in Chad. Last week, Adam and his family returned to their home in Kebkabiya village, in North Darfur with their five Children, all of whom were born in Chad.
“I’m so happy to return to my country with my family. I really feel comfortable and content. I cannot thank UNHCR and the Governments of Chad and Sudan enough for facilitating our return to Sudan,” said Abakar, with a deep sigh.
Adam and his family are part of a first convoy of 53 Sudanese refugees, who returned to Sudan from eastern Chad on 14 April, after more than a decade in exile. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Commissioner of Refugees (COR), Hamad El-Gizouli, welcomed the returning Sudanese refugees at the reception centre in Tina, North Darfur. Besides three months of food rations, the returnees were provided with a reintegration package and transportation of personal belongings and livestock to their home villages in North Darfur. The return follows the signing of a Tripartite Voluntary Repatriation Agreement in Khartoum on 31 May 2017, between the Governments of Sudan and Chad and UNHCR. Mr. El-Gizouli described the return as a historic moment. He reiterated the importance the Sudanese Government attaches to the voluntary return of refugees, and the hope that these returnees will be able to rebuild their lives as Sudanese citizens.
Sudan and Chad—with assistance from UNHCR and its partners—plan to repatriate 20,000 refugees from Chad this year. At least 300,000 Sudanese refugees are in Chad, many of whom fled Sudan following the conflicts in Darfur between 2003 and 2004. With the new stability and improved general security in Darfur, many have indicated an interest in returning, according to UNHCR.
With a shortfall of US$37.7 million to respond to recovery, returns and re-integration, Noriko Yoshida, UNHCR Representative for Sudan, appealed for urgent funding to assist the efforts of the Government of Sudan to provide durable solutions for returning communities.