UN Celebrates Landmark of 300,000th Returnee to South Sudan

February 8, 2009 (JUBA) – During a meeting of the Tripartite Commission on repatriation and reintegration of Sudanese refugees from Kenya, UNHCR marked the 300,000th homecoming to South Sudan.

The 300,000th returnee entered Sudan from Uganda through Nimule in Central Equatoria on February 7, stated Kazuhiko Shimizu, an UNHCR official based in Juba.

UNHCR has had a role in helping roughly half of the 300,000 registered refugees who have returned to Southern Sudan and Blue Nile State. In 2008 UNHCR assisted over 60,000 Sudanese refugees to return home. The planning figure for repatriation from all countries of asylum in 2009 has been set at 54,000.

Since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) on January 9, 2005, marking the end of more than two decades of civil war, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees returned home.

The landmark figure was announced during a meeting in Juba of the Tripartite Commission for Sudanese refugees in Kenya, which was established by an agreement signed by Sudan, UNHCR and Kenya in January 2006. This commission is is charged with coordinating and planning the repatriation and reintegration activities and giving guidance on refugee returns.

The meeting was attended by the delegation of the Government of Sudan headed by Mohammed Al-Aghbash, the delegation of the Government of Kenya headed by Peter Kusimba, and the delegation of UNHCR headed by Noriko Yoshida.

Participants issued a joint communiqué lauding the government and people of Kenya for providing asylum to more than 80,000 Sudanese refugees over the past 18 years. An estimated 23,000 Sudanese refugees remain in Kenya, mostly in Kakuma camp.

Reviewing the current situation, the commission agreed to set the target return figure from Kenya for 2009 at 5,000.

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