Migration Profile Shows 6.9 Million Affected by Migration and Displacement in Sudan
A new IOM migration country profile of Sudan shows that out of a
population of 39.2 million, an estimated 6.9 million people in the
country are affected by migration and displacement. These include
4.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), 750,000 foreign
migrants and refugees living in Sudan and at least 1.2 million
Sudanese living abroad.
According to the profile, which recommends the adoption of a
comprehensive migration management strategy involving government,
civil society organizations and international institutions to cope
with the challenge, most of Sudan’s migration flows originate
from or go to neighboring African and Arab countries.
The profile was developed jointly by IOM and the Sudanese Centre
for Migration, Development and Population Studies and is part of a
broader project funded by IOM’s 1035 Facility to support the
Sudanese government in producing migration data and using it to
inform current and future migration policies.
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title="">Migration in Sudan: A Country Profile 2011
It was produced with the support of a Technical Working Group
that brought together all national agencies working on migration
and migration-related issues, including the Secretariat for
Sudanese Working Abroad, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Ministry of Labor, the Central Bureau of Statistics and
the Commission for Refugees.
In spite of large scale IDP returns in Sudan over the last ten
years, following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
and other regional peace accords, Sudan is recognized as still
having the second largest number of internally displaced persons in
the world, according to the profile.
Future developments arising from the outcome of the recent
referendum on South Sudan suggest that managing internal
displacement and internal migration will continue to be a
significant challenge, it notes.
In contrast, the number of foreign-born refugees in the country
has roughly halved over the past 20 years due to voluntary and
organized repatriations. Sudan now hosts some 685,000 refugees,
mainly from Eritrea, Chad and Ethiopia.
The country also hosts some 35,000 migrant workers, mainly from
China, India, the Philippines and Turkey. The majority work in
companies set up by foreign investors.
The profile estimates that between 1.2 and 1.7 million Sudanese
citizens and people of Sudanese origin are currently living
abroad.
Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries host approximately a
million Sudanese migrant workers. Remittances are an important
source of income for thousands of Sudanese families and communities
of origin, although remittances via formal channels are
significantly lower per capita than in most other Arab
countries.
According to the profile, up to 390,000 Sudanese refugees are
also still living in neighboring countries, including Chad, Uganda,
Ethiopia and Kenya.
While the data in the report confirms that irregular migration
of Sudanese to the EU is very limited, the report highlights that a
large, unidentified number of migrants transit irregularly through
Sudan en route to Libya, Egypt and other destinations, including
Europe.
Speaking at a workshop in Khartoum on 23 February to launch the
profile, Ahmed Kermeno Ahmed, State Minister of the Council of
Ministers, representing the Vice President and Chairman of the
Supreme Council of Migration said: "The Government of Sudan will
translate the information in this Migration Profile into policies
to promote socio-economic development and ensure that Sudan
benefits from migration."
The Sudan Migration Country Profile can be accessed on
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"_blank" title="">http://bit.ly/fCS3sI
For further information please contact:
Mark Richmond
IOM Sudan
Tel: +249922406634
E-mail:
"mailto:mrichmond@iom.int">mrichmond@iom.int