UNHCR urges countries not to close their borders to Sudanese refugees

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urged this Friday all countries to allow civilians fleeing Sudan access to their territories without discrimination.

UNHCR spokesperson in Geneva, Elizabeth Tan, explained that this petition covers Sudanese and foreign nationals“including refugees who were hosted by Sudan, stateless persons, and those without passports or other identity documents.”

Tan noted that the ongoing hostilities in Sudan have generated a number of humanitarian problems and human rights violationsas well as widespread criminality and looting of civilian infrastructure and humanitarian assets.

The Agency pointed out that a large number of civilians – many of them previously displaced – have had to flee the fighting and that thousands of these people they have sought safety outside of Sudan.

In addition, given the ongoing violence, people fleeing the conflict in Sudan, as well as Sudanese citizens who are outside the country and unable to return due to fighting, “may be in need of international refugee protection under international legal frameworks and regional,” he said.

In this regard, the body urged that all applications for international protection of Sudanese citizens and persons, including stateless persons, who were habitual residents of Sudan, are processed fairly and efficiently.

Change of situation

“UNHCR also calls on States suspend rejections of asylum applications submitted by Sudanese citizens or stateless persons habitually residing there. Sudanese citizens whose claims for international protection were disqualified before the current conflict may now need international protection depending on changed circumstances,” the spokesperson stressed.

Likewise, the Agency requested the countries to stop forced returns to Sudan, including from people whose asylum claims have previously been rejected.

Tan referred with concern to the situation of 1.1 million refugees and asylum seekers of other nationalities who have been welcomed in Sudan, who are now forced to leave the country “and must be allowed to do so”. Citizens of South Sudan are the largest group of refugees in Sudan, which is also home to significant refugee populations from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Syria and Yemen.

The spokeswoman highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan as a result of the conflict and recalled that, together with its partners, UNHCR yesterday called on the donor community to contribute 445 million dollars for the regional refugee response plan in five countries, which would serve some 860,000 people.

Child victims of the conflict

For its part, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) He reported that In the first eleven days of the current conflict in Sudan, 190 children died and 1,700 more were injured.

“On average, every hour during this eleven-day combat period, seven children were killed or injured every hour”, said with alarm James Elder, spokesman for UNICEF in Geneva.

He clarified that these numbers of children killed or injured cover only those who had contact with a medical center. “Then, as always, the reality is likely to be much worse,” she added.

Elder pointed out that children continue to live in the midst of that violence. “The places where they should be safe, such as homes, schools and hospitals, have been attacked constantly. UNICEF and its partners have called on the parties to the conflict to stop all assaults on health centres, schools and the water and sanitation systems on which children depend; however, the attacks continue”.

UNICEF stressed that humanitarian workers have also been attackedand that humanitarian facilities, vehicles and supplies have been looted or destroyed, undermining the ability of relief agencies to help.

The UN Fund urged the parties to the conflict to fulfill their obligations to protect children and ensure that humanitarian actors can safely operate on the ground to support civilians, in accordance with international law.