More refugees return from Sudan

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has repatriated another batch of Eritrean refugees from Sudan. A spokeswoman for the agency told IRIN that 1,606 Eritreans returned to their country on Sunday from the Sudanese town of Kassala.

UNHCR said this was the 50th convoy to return to Eritrea since the voluntary repatriation exercise began last May, bringing the total number of returnees so far to around 36,500. On 31 December, some 3,200 Eritreans boarded the largest convoy to date, prompting UNHCR and the Sudanese and Eritrean governments to make arrangements for two convoys each week.

In addition to overland convoys to the eastern Eritrean town of Tesseney, UNHCR has taken returnees home by sea from camps in Port Sudan to the Eritrean port of Massawa, the agency added in a press release.

The repatriation is planned to continue until December, ending one of UNHCR's longest-running refugee situations. Some of the returnees have been in exile for three decades. There are still
around 140,000 Eritrean refugees living in 23 camps in Sudan.

All returning Eritreans receive a cash grant as well as a two-month food package, household supplies and a metal and canvas family shelter kit, UNHCR said. The agency also gives them hand tools for farming. Local authorities are giving families mine-awareness training and up to two hectares of arable land.

UNHCR staff monitoring the re-integration process have noted that the majority of returnees are able to begin farming immediately and anticipate more large returns before the next planting season, the press release said.