UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Published purpose

Since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed, more than 169,000 Sudanese refugees and 1.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned home. Organized returns have so far kept pace with the desire of people to return. However, the continued absence of basic services in rural areas continues to be a barrier, particular for refugees who benefit from these services in their countries of asylum. In 2008, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) continues to facilitate organized returns from Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda for an estimated 80,000 refugees, and to assist, when requested, returning IDP populations in areas where the UNHCR is present. UNHCR work includes the creation of conditions conducive to voluntary return, and monitoring the situation of returned refugees and IDPs. It also involves the coordination of protection activities for IDPs from Khartoum, and offering assistance to at-risk groups.