A senior Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official has appealed to neighbouring countries hosting the Sudanese refugees to treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Babiker Al-Siddiq, the ministry’s official spokesperson, said the Sudanese government is in touch with neighbouring countries hosting Sudanese refugees following the war.
He, however, said host countries where Sudanese have sought refuge have the right to enforce their own restrictions and conditions when receiving refugees.
Al-Siddiq was responding to an inquiry from Radio Tamazuj regarding the conditions of Sudanese refugees in various countries, including those stranded in a forest in neighbouring Ethiopia.
Early May, approximately 6,000 Sudanese refugees were stranded in an Ethiopian forest after the Ethiopian government prevented them from leaving its territory while they were attempting to return to Sudan on foot.
In response, Al-Siddiq stated, “The issue of Sudanese refugees and migrants has remained a priority for the Sudanese government,” confirming that they have requested neighbouring countries to facilitate the issuance of visas and entry procedures. However, he added, “It is the sovereign right of any country to impose its own restrictions on the process of receiving migrants.”
Al-Siddiq emphasized that international laws and norms mandate that countries should not return any refugees whose lives are under threat.
He urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other UN agencies to play a more active role in addressing the conditions of Sudanese refugees while respecting each country’s laws and regulations.
Al-Siddiq criticized the current efforts of the UNHCR and the UN as insufficient in addressing the challenges faced by Sudanese refugees.
More than 8.8 million people fled their homes since fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April 2023.