Continued Flow of Sudanese Refugees to Neighboring Countries
moatinoon
After nearly a year since the outbreak of war in Sudan, the displacement and refugee movement to neighboring countries continue. While the number of refugees in Egypt has reached half a million, the UN Refugee Agency has reported significant inflows to the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Chad.
In its weekly report covering the period from March 21st to 27th, the agency announced the arrival of 84 refugee families from West Kordofan State to Al-Laait locality in North Kordofan State.
It further stated that the average number of arrivals from Sudan to the Central African Republic stood at 565 individuals weekly. Since the beginning of the year, a total of 7,397 Sudanese representing 3,295 families have arrived. The number of Sudanese refugees in the Kourci camp is now 10,668, with an expected influx of around 5,000 more by the end of May, stating, "If the current trend continues, the population of Kourci could reach 15,000 by the end of May."
The total number of Sudanese refugees in the Central African Republic since the outbreak of the war is 23,286, living in 13 areas, including the Kourci camp, which serves as the main camp for Sudanese refugees in the Central African Republic.
In Chad, the agency reported that 3,289 individuals constituting 810 families crossed into Chad from Sudan between March 21st and 27th, compared to 2,335 individuals or 673 families in the previous week, primarily through the Adré border crossing. Most of them are women and children from the localities of Nyala, Habila, and El Fasher. According to the Chadian government, the total number of arrivals in Chad since the state of emergency began is 564,686 individuals, including 78,289 arrivals since the beginning of the year.
However, the agency noted the spread of viral hepatitis among refugees, stating, "Although the Chadian authorities have not officially announced the spread of the epidemic, the number of cases of viral hepatitis is increasing. So far, 1,222 cases have been recorded in the four refugee sites (Adré, Abougoudam, Mitcji, and Alasha) in the regions of Wadi Fira and Wadi."
Regarding the situation of refugees in Egypt, the agency stated that Egyptian authorities extended, on March 19th, the period for allowing "foreign residents illegally" to regularize their legal status for six months until September 15th, to alleviate pressure on asylum seekers and refugees, especially those who cannot organize their residence without registering with the Commission. In August of last year, Egypt issued a decree requiring "foreigners" to regularize their legal status, whether for tourism or other purposes, with payment in hard currency. The agency called on the authorities to ease the registration process for asylum seekers and refugees, considering the significant backlog of registrations resulting from increasing pressures due to the influx of Sudanese.
As for the registration of Sudanese with the agency, a slight increase was recorded last week, with the number of registrants reaching 287,607 individuals, representing 51% of the total number of 561,940 individuals, which includes half of the registered asylum seekers and refugees in Egypt.
Most of the new arrivals are women, accounting for 53%, with the highest reported needs upon arrival being housing, education, and cash.
In Ethiopia, the number of Sudanese refugees totals 51,134 individuals, comprising 22,777 families in need of international protection.
In South Sudan, the agency noted significant influxes into Sudan before the month of Ramadan. However, there was an increase in the number of new arrivals across the border points of Kier Adam and Majok Ninytheu on a daily basis. The new arrivals are mostly young people, women, and children.
During the past week, 145 refugees, or 63 families, arrived in Yida from the Nuba Mountains.
In Uganda, 13,446 new arrivals from Sudan have been recorded since the beginning of the year. During the past week, a total of 944 new arrivals (382 families) were received in Adjumani, Lamwo, and Kiryandongo from Sudan, representing 77% of the individuals (1,225) received through these areas. Additionally, 1,638 new arrivals were received in Kampala.
Uganda has received a total of 33,435 new arrivals this year, 40% of whom are from Sudan.
The agency stated, "Following a meeting between the Prime Ministers office and the Commission, two registration offices will be established in Kiryandongo camp. One office will serve those remaining in Kiryandongo, while the other will be dedicated to those who prefer to live in Kampala. Implementation will begin on March 25, 2024. This will facilitate the official residence and registration of refugees staying in Kampala and ensure better targeting of direct assistance for those remaining in the camp."
