Sudanese refugees leave west
Apr 20, 2009
HUNDREDS of Sudanese refugees who had settled in camps in western Ugandan are returning to their country in a voluntary repatriation exercise.
By Pascal Kwesiga
HUNDREDS of Sudanese refugees who had settled in camps in western Ugandan are returning to their country in a voluntary repatriation exercise.
The desk officer in charge of Kyangwali, Kiryandongo and Kyaka refugee camps, Emmanuel Turyagenda, on Friday said 448 refugees had been sent home.
Kyangwali Refugee Camp is located in Hoima, Kiryandongo in Masindi while Kyaka is in Kyenjojo district. “This exercise is continuous until all those who want to go back to their countries have left,†said Turyagenda.
He disclosed that the exercise which resumed last week was being facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Government.
The repatriation of Sudanese refugees started in 2006 when the Sudanese government requested all countries hosting its nationals to assist them return home.
This was after the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement between the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army and the government of President Omar al Bashir.
Turyagenda said a total of 22,222 Sudanese refugees had since returned home in various convoys. He said the latest convoy left last week.
“More convoys are set to leave in a few days,†he added. Turyagenda also said while Sudanese refuges were being repatriated, many others were applying for refugee status and the Government was in the process of verifying their applications.
The settlement camps however, are still homes to thousands of refugees from Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Congo Brazzaville, Central African Republic, Somalia, Kenya and DR Congo.
HUNDREDS of Sudanese refugees who had settled in camps in western Ugandan are returning to their country in a voluntary repatriation exercise.
The desk officer in charge of Kyangwali, Kiryandongo and Kyaka refugee camps, Emmanuel Turyagenda, on Friday said 448 refugees had been sent home.
Kyangwali Refugee Camp is located in Hoima, Kiryandongo in Masindi while Kyaka is in Kyenjojo district. “This exercise is continuous until all those who want to go back to their countries have left,†said Turyagenda.
He disclosed that the exercise which resumed last week was being facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Government.
The repatriation of Sudanese refugees started in 2006 when the Sudanese government requested all countries hosting its nationals to assist them return home.
This was after the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement between the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army and the government of President Omar al Bashir.
Turyagenda said a total of 22,222 Sudanese refugees had since returned home in various convoys. He said the latest convoy left last week.
“More convoys are set to leave in a few days,†he added. Turyagenda also said while Sudanese refuges were being repatriated, many others were applying for refugee status and the Government was in the process of verifying their applications.
The settlement camps however, are still homes to thousands of refugees from Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Congo Brazzaville, Central African Republic, Somalia, Kenya and DR Congo.