IOM and UNHCR, in collaboration with the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan, started airlifting 1,370 extremely vulnerable South Sudanese from the Khartoum to Aweil in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State.
The IOM chartered 47-seat plane flies two times a day for the next two weeks between Khartoum and Aweil, IOM said.Sudan’s Commissioner for Voluntary and Humanitarian Work, Mohammed Sinari Mustafa, appreciated all UNHCR, IOM, the Civil Aviation Authority and other relevant authorities for facilitating the return process.
The Humanitarian Attach√Ö¬Ω of the South Sudan Embassy in Khartoum, Deng Pouch Ngouth, also appreciated IOM and UNHCR’s humanitarian efforts.
He said UNHCR, IOM, Sudanese and South Sudanese authorities will ensure that all individuals have made an informed choice to return and will travel in safety and dignity.
IOM and UNHCR South Sudan staff will meet the returnees in Aweil to provide initial medical assistance.
IOM, in close collaboration with the South Sudan authorities, will provide onward transportation to their final places of return.