Sudan’s commissioner for refugees, Hamad al-Jazuli, has announced the beginning of a process to voluntarily repatriate 33,000 Sudanese refugees from Ethiopia to their native Blue Nile state before the rains.
He claimed in a press statement that the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, have pledged to support the programs which will begin once medical checks have been completed.
Hamad indicated that most of the refugees are willing to return to Sudan from the camps given improved stability in Blue Nile state.
He added that regular meetings between the Sudanese and Ethiopian authorities will be held every six months in order to coordinate and exchange information on refugees still in the camps.
Both nations also agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding so as to cement details of the program.
The mass movement of Sudanese citizens from Blue Nile state to refugee camps in Ethiopia and South Sudan has been taking place since last year when war broke out there between rebel groups and the Sudanese government.