On the 10th and 11th of December 2013, IOM Sudan arranged for the safe departure of 60 Eritrean refugees to be resettled to Canada from Sudan. IOM Staff from Sudan escorted the refugees to Calgary and Toronto.

The Government of Canada is the first in the top five resettlement countries accepting refugees from Sudan. A total of 711 refugees have been assisted for resettlement from Sudan to Canada in 2013. The other countries on the top five are Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia.One refugee traveling on 11 December said he felt “happy yet a bit sad departing to the new country, as I do not know what is waiting for me in Canada, but I am sure I will be OK and will adapt soon.”

Prior to the departure to the resettlement countries, refugees received cultural orientation to prepare themselves to adjust and reintegrate in Canada. The IOM Migration Health Unit performed medical screening to ensure that all refugees moving under the auspices of IOM were fit to travel and that they received appropriate medical attention and assistance during all phases of the travel.

IOM in Sudan has been providing a safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation arrangement for refugees in Sudan accepted for resettlement since 2005. There were three hundred fifty two (352) refugees resettled to Canada, Australia and Europe in 2005.

In the time span of 8 years, the number of resettlement countries who joined in providing a durable solution for refugees in Sudan increased to 16. By the end of November 2013, a total of 12,134 refugees, majority being Eritrean refugees, have departed to Canada, Norway, Sweden, Australia, Switzerland, USA, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Italy, New Zealand, Denmark, France, Belgium, Germany and Spain.

The refugees are accepted for resettlement under the Government Refugee Quota and Family Reunification Programmes. IOM Sudan works in close coordination with the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Commission for Refugees (COR) and the Alien Department of the Ministry of Interior (MOI), Khartoum International Airport Authority in all stages of the pre departure preparation and processing for accepted refugees and their final travel departure from Sudan.

“IOM hopes that more countries will contribute offering a durable solution approach for refugees in Sudan,” said Ester T. Gigir, IOM Programme Cooordinator for Movement and Migration Management.

UNHCR reported that more than 150.000 refugee are in Sudan. This number consists of protracted refugees and new arrival refugees in which Eritrean represents the majority of the caseloads.

For more information, please contact Renata Bernardo at rbernardo@iom.int Tel.: +249922406645, +249156554600/1/2

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