75190 Africa 13/06/02 16:09 Side 179
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75190 Africa 13/06/02 16:09 Side 179 Sudan Main Objectives Promote the voluntary repatria- tion of Eritrean and other refugees; provide assistance, with particular attention to the needs of women, children and the elderly; if no other durable solutions are workable, seek resettlement of refugees who are eligible; close down UNHCR field offices in Port Sudan and Kassala in September 2001 in accordance with Action 2. Impact • UNHCR extended interna- tional protection to all refugees and other persons of concern in Sudan. • For more than 42,000 refugees a durable solution was found (9,321 pre-1991 Ethiopian refugees voluntarily repatria- ted, as did 32,650 Eritrean and 80 Ugandan refugees). • 116 Eritreans, 143 Ethiopians and six Tunisians were resettled to third countries for family reunification and protection reasons. Working Environment • UNHCR continued to provide assistance to all camp-based refugees, including healthcare and The Context primary education. • Three camps that hosted pre-1991 Ethiopian UNHCR extended protection and assistance to a total refugees were closed, rehabilitated and handed of 414,930 refugees in Sudan during 2001. Voluntary over to the local authorities. UNHCR relocated repatriation remained the most feasible durable 642 pre-1991 Ethiopian refugees to the Abu solution, though small numbers of refugees were Rakham camp. recommended for resettlement on a case by case basis. Local integration of refugees was not legally possible in Sudan. Diplomatic relations between Sudan and its neighbours improved, allowing an increase in the voluntary repatriation of Ethiopian, Eritrean and Ugandan refugees (42,142 altogether in 2001). UNHCR Global Report 2001 – 179 75190 Africa 13/06/02 16:09 Side 180 The Sudanese Government’s Commissioner for vision of education was also curtailed: only 15,000 Refugees (COR), was UNHCR’s principal imple- out of 55,000 school-aged children had access to the menting partner. The COR continued to be respon- limited educational facilities available. sible for policy-making, camp management and implementation of protection and assistance pro- grammes. Achievements and Impact By the end of December 2001, the total refugee Protection and Solutions population had decreased from 414,930 to 349,210 Sudan persons, mainly due to repatriation, but also on The main protection challenge for the office during account of the application of Cessation Clauses to 2001 was the application of the Cessation Clauses to pre-1991 Ethiopian refugees (i.e. “expiry” of their pre-1991 Ethiopian refugees. In the first quarter of refugee status due to ceased circumstances). 2001, UNHCR and COR completed the joint Eligibility Screening Project set up to determine Constraints which pre-1991 Ethiopian refugees needed con- tinued international protection (i.e. continued Reported landmines in Kassala State temporarily refugee status). The project began by training legal limited UNHCR’s freedom of movement and there- screeners on the application of Cessation Clauses. fore interrupted some activities in refugee camps in The result was that of 3,000 applications, 284 eastern Sudan, including the voluntary repatria- (involving 1,952 people) qualified for continued tion operation. refugee status in Sudan. The latter received new refugee identity cards, thereby distinguishing them Funding from those determined to be no longer in need of refugee status. The annual budget for the Sudan programme was significantly reduced, due to Action 2 and other After implementing the Cessation Clauses, funding constraints, with a severe effect on health- UNHCR continued to share information with seve- care, as hospital referral cases had to be suspended. ral stakeholders and interested parties, including The funding situation also adversely affected Ethiopian political groups opposed to the very idea implementation for two months, as partners of the Cessation Clause. Those individuals who no delayed the signature of sub-agreements. The pro- longer needed continued refugee status, but who wished to remain in Sudan, were Persons of Concern advised to regula-rise their status Total Of whom Per cent Per cent under the immigration laws of Main Origin/ in Country UNHCR Female under 18 Type of Population assisted Sudan. To facilitate that process, Eritrea (Refugees) 324,500 129,900 51 60 the Government appointed a Ethiopia (Refugees) 16,100 640 52 57 committee to determine exactly Uganda (Refugees) 8,500 - - - what status should be offered to 1 The total includes an estimated 218,680 urban refugees (Sudanese Government estimate) most of whom them. Some of these persons are self-sufficient. obtained national passports from the Ethiopian embassy in Sudan, Income and Expenditure (USD) and then used these passports to Annual Programme Budget and obtain residence and work per- Supplementary Programme Budget mits from the Sudanese authori- Revised Income from Other Funds Total Funds Total Budget Contributions1 Available2 Available Expenditure ties. (This had previously been AB 8,993,713 3,650,784 4,978,209 8,628,993 8,628,993 unnecessary, as a refugee identi- SB 3,467,116 0 3,399,844 3,399,844 3,399,844 ty card automatically entitled the TOTAL 12,460,829 3,650,784 8,378,053 12,028,837 12,028,837 holder to a work permit). UNHCR 1 Includes income from contributions restricted at the country level. engaged in meetings with refu- 2 Includes allocations by UNHCR from unearmarked or broadly earmarked contributions, opening balance gee community representatives and adjustments. The above figures do not include costs at Headquarters. and relevant government depart- 180 – UNHCR Global Report 2001 75190 Africa 13/06/02 16:09 Side 181 ments to explain and promote the use of alternative ties. Five Somali refugees received protection and documentation like national passports. assistance after 37 others left the area without noti- fying UNHCR. Repatriation: Promotion of vo-luntary repatriation for Eritrean refugees remained a top priority. To Activities and Assistance this end, the Governments of Sudan and Eritrea and UNHCR held the fourth and fifth Tripartite Community Services: UNHCR worked with the Repatriation Commission (TRC) meetings in 2001. beneficiaries and implementing partners to plan, These meetings defined the legal framework and implement and monitor a variety of activities to operational parameters for the voluntary repatria- meet the material, social and educational needs of tion operation. In total, 10,750 families comprising refugees. Community participation was encouraged, 32,741 camp-based refugees were assisted by including women’s involvement in decision-mak- Sudan UNHCR to repatriate to Eritrea. With this repatria- ing, food distribution and Parent – Teacher Associa- tion, Gulsa and Lafa camps were vacated and tions. In Port Sudan, a number of pilot closed after the repatriation of the residual new projects were conducted to assist refugee women to Eritrean refugees (i.e. those who had fled the recent become self-reliant. 123 women in two groups par- Ethiopia-Eritrea border war in May 2000). ticipated in training for income-generation and credit schemes in Port Sudan. Four refugee women UNHCR finalised the implementation of the applica- re-ceived sewing instruction alongside seven tion of the Cessation Clause for pre-1991 Ethiopian Sudanese women. They produced sanitary materi- refugees at the end of March 2001. Components of als, which were later distributed to women of repro- the final stages included repatriation of 9,321 re- ductive age. Seventy-five refugee women made sidual pre-1991 Ethiopian refugees and screening 6,065 bars of soap and sold 5,795 of them in the of 3,000 persons who applied for continued refugee refugee camps. Special attention was paid to vulner- status in Sudan. The repatriates departed from able groups during repatriation, including provision Tenedba, Um Gulja and Um Rakuba camps, which of special transportation. Refugees received training were subsequently closed, rehabilitated and handed in various fields including literacy, and approaches over to the local authorities. UNHCR and the COR to harmful traditional practices like early marriage jointly screened the 284 files of 1,952 refugees, of and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) which unfor- whom 642 were camp-based (subsequently relocated tu-nately persist among the refugees. Fifty elderly to Abu Rakham refugee camp). refugees in Khartoum received basic counselling and monthly financial assistance. Some 3,500 Resettlement: UNHCR Sudan pursued resettle- refugee women in six refugee camps were supplied ment as a tool of protection and as a durable solu- with sanitary materials, improving the level of tion. In total, 116 Eritrean, 143 Ethiopian, and six hygiene among the refugees. Tunisian refugees left Sudan for third countries in 2001. Pre-1991 Ethiopian refugees deemed to Domestic Needs/Household Support: UNHCR require continued refugee status were identified as provided monthly financial assistance and basic a priority for resettlement from Sudan during 2001. counselling to elderly refugees based in Khartoum, Both UNHCR Sudan and UNHCR Regional Re-set- many of whom are disabled. About 3,500 refugee tlement Officers prepared the resettlement cases women in six refugee camps were supplied with for submission to resettlement countries. sanitary materials. The level of hygiene among the refugee women improved during the reporting Other refugees: A joint COR/WFP/UNHCR period. assessment mission to El Geneina in Western Sudan in July 2001 confirmed that the residual