Sudan hosts 1.12 million refugees and more than 3 million internally displaced persons. Recently, it saw new displacements from Ethiopia, South Sudan and within Sudan.
UNHCR and partners continue responding to the needs of about 51,000 Ethiopian refugees in East Sudan and 9,200 Ethiopian asylum-seekers in Blue Nile State.
UNHCR supports solutions for IDPs and South Sudanese refugees, such as voluntary return, legal work, self-reliance or resettlement.
Update on Achievements
Operational Context
Sudan hosts one of the largest refugee populations in Africa. South Sudanese make up the majority. Many others fled violence and persecution in neighbouring countries, including Eritrea, Central African Republic,
Ethiopia, and Chad. Wars in Syria and Yemen also pushed people to seek safety in the country.
Most refugees live in out-of-camp settlements, host communities and urban areas (61%), while others (39%) stay in 26 camps and many more settlements.
The country also counts more than 3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), mostly in the Darfur region that has suffered from a volatile security situation for almost two decades. Together with the Sudanese Government, UNHCR ensures international protection and delivery of multisectoral assistance to displaced people in need in the Darfur region.
Highlights
Emergency Refugee Response in Eastern Sudan
The number of new arrivals from Ethiopia decreased almost by half (48%) in February compared to the previous month, with 65 new arrivals reported in Hamdayet (36) and Babikri (29). UNHCR teams at the border have received consistent reports from refugees that border crossing points have been blocked on the Ethiopian side, impeding the crossing of refugees and asylum seekers into Sudan.
UNHCR and COR scaled up the issuance of ID cards, providing over 3,300 ID cards to registered refugees aged 16 and above. This brings the total number of refugees with ID cards to 14,152 in Um Rakuba (7,350) and Tunaydbah (6,802), covering over 50% of the population in both camps.
The gender-based violence (GBV) sub-working group launched the inter-agency GBV action plan for the first quarter of 2022. In tandem, UNHCR and UNFPA initiated the rollout of the GBV Information Management System (GBVIMS) tool to harmonize GBV data collection and case management.
Preparedness efforts for the rainy season at household and camp levels are ongoing, in collaboration with local authorities and partners. An inter-agency rainy season preparedness plan has been created and efforts are underway to procure and distribute emergency shelter kits and pre-disaster kits to refugees in Babikri, Tunaydbah and Um Rakuba. Furthermore, arrangements are being made to initiate the rehabilitation of access roads as well as internal roads and the drainage system, particularly in Babikri and Tunaydbah.
UNHCR and UNDP established a Solution Working Group to increase the resilience of local communities affected by the refugee crisis and foster peace coexistence, in alignment with State and local development plans.
Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees