1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Sudan

UN calls for national strategy on IDPs

Francis Deng, the UN Secretary-General's Representative for internally displaced persons (IDPs) has said Sudan should step up its efforts to tackle its rising IDP population. During his visit to Sudan from 11 to 18 September, Deng met Sudanese President Umar Hasan al-Bashir, to whom he proposed the development of a national strategy on internal displacement. The strategy should include the establishment of a national focal point on IDPs and an institution with a specific mandate for meeting the needs of all those affected, Deng said. He said Sudan had much to gain from being seen to be taking the lead on internal displacement, both at the international level in advocating for the cause of the internally displaced, and at the national level, in responding to the needs of its own citizens. The US Committee for Refugees (USCR) reported in June that, by the end of 2000, Sudan had the largest population of IDPs in the world - over four million people. Sudan also accounted for more of the world's refugees and IDPs than any other African country, USCR added.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join