Sudan, Chad agree to repatriate refugees

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the governments of Sudan and Chad yesterday signed a tripartite agreement for the voluntary repatriation of refugees from both countries.

According to the Sudanese Refugee Agency, 8,550 Chadian refugees live in Sudan while 392,000 Sudanese refugees live in Chad.

The agreement was signed by Sudan’s State Minister at the Ministry of Interior, Babiker Ahmed Digna, Chadian Minister of the State Ministry of Land Administration and Local Government, Aboubakar Djibrile Aboubakar, and UNHCR Representative in Sudan, Noriko Yoshida.

Read: Sudan hosts 25% of South Sudan’s refugees

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Digna said: “The agreement aims to facilitate the repatriation of Sudanese refugees from Chad and Chadian refugees from Sudan.”

The agreement does not mean the immediate return of refugees and migrants however “represents internationally accepted legal standards that govern the voluntary repatriation of refugees which all the parties are fully committed to”.

He added: “The voluntary return needs huge resources to implement the plan effectively” and called on the international community to provide financial support to implement the agreement on the ground.