Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission in Khartoum have announced arrangements for the voluntary repatriation of 1750 South Sudanese citizens.

Mustafa al-Sennari, the Humanitarian Aid Commissioner for Khartoum state, said that the repatriation will begin today in several batches using land transport.  The move is based on Friday’s agreement between Sudan and South Sudan in collaboration with the National Centre for Displacement and Voluntarily Return in addition to the Khartoum state Humanitarian Aid Commission.

The process will reportedly begin with the citizens being transported to Upper Nile and Bahr el-Ghazal states, noting that the departure of some returnees will free enough space in areas of Khartoum to facilitate the return of a rail system in the al-Shajara area.

“The commission will transport the Southerners from al-Shajara area within two days. Actually they are great in number, all those who were at al-Shajara along the railway or at what is called al-Shajara departure point, number more than 300-400 families who left from the previous trips. The body which is coordinating the program is the National Centre for Displacement and Voluntarily Returns in partnership with UN organizations and some of the national organizations in collaboration with the two countries of the North and South Sudan,” he told Radio Tamazuj.