To mark World Refugee Day this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Sudan, in close coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) held a series of events at Um Rakuba refugee camp, located in the eastern Sudanese state of Gedaref.

Every year on 20 June, the world celebrates World Refugee Day to honour refugees around the globe and to celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.

According to the 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview, Sudan hosts 1.16 million refugees - one of the largest refugee populations in Africa.

Since the outbreak of violence in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region in November 2020, Sudan welcomed and assisted 58,000 Ethiopian refugees and asylum seekers, hosted mainly in two camps, Um Rakuba and Tunaydbah, in eastern Sudan (UNHCR).

Under this year’s theme, ‘Right to Seek Safety’, IOM together with partners conducted awareness-raising sessions on refugee and human rights and human-trafficking, as well as hosted recreational sport activities for boys and girls in the camp.

IOM has been on-the-ground in Um Rakuba refugee camp providing an integrated emergency response since the start of the influx of refugees into Sudan. Interventions have included ongoing  water, sanitation and hygiene support, deleivery of community health services, establishment of a mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and women centre that provides individual and group counselling sessions, and provision of medical and hygiene supplies.

In addition, IOM has scaled up its response to cover the needs of hosting communities neighbouring Um Rakuba refugee camp through the expansion of the water supply system in Doka town. IOM remains committed to support those on the move, including internally displaced persons, migrants and refugees in Sudan.

Today and every day, let us remember that everyone has a right to seek safety – whoever they are, wherever they come from and whenever they are forced to flee.

For further information, please contact IOM Sudan, Email: iomsudanmedia@iom.int