The Sudanese Foreign affairs minister and Chair of IGAD Council of Ministers, Dr. Mariam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, has stressed the need to support a forced displacement initiative in Sudan and South Sudan.
Dr. Mariam addressed the 72nd session of the IGAD Council of Ministers held virtually last Thursday and attended by seven IGAD countries.
She explained that the initiative aims to improve the lives of those who have been forcibly displaced and the communities that host them
According to her, the initiative targets more than 7,000,000 displaced people including refugees, returnees, and host community members in the two neighboring countries whose national strategies are expected to be adopted at the IGAD Summit of Heads of State and Governments in September.
Dr. Mariam said that the initiative is directly related to the implementation of the peace agreements in the two countries, building and sustaining peace, strengthening national unity, and achieving balanced development.
She added that the initiative will also strengthen efforts to combat illegal immigration and human trafficking and enhance relations between Sudan and South Sudan.