The presidents of South Sudan and Sudan wrote to the UN Security Council saying they agreed to recognize the nine-month adjustment period to establish the status of South Sudanese in Sudan.
Salva Kiir and Omar al-Bashir’s letter followed their 8-9 October meeting in Khartoum, UNOCHA said.Both sides agreed to treat South Sudanese in Sudan as displaced persons rather than refugees until March 2012 when the interim period concludes.
They also agreed to facilitate returnees’ assistance and movement to South Sudan.
The return of Southerners living in the Sudan has slowed down recently but it is expected to pick up again.
According to the UN, 4,000 returnees are expected to leave Khartoum for Greater Bahr el Ghazal next week and another 8,000 from Khartoum will travel by train in the coming weeks.
An additional 6,000 persons are also to be transported from Kosti by IOM, the International Organization for Migrations.
IOM is also finalizing a contract with a barge company to move 2,700 individuals from Renk to other locations in South Sudan.
Since October 2010, more than 347,300 people returned to South Sudan either in organized or spontaneous movements.