Sudan - Some 1,750 refugees living in Sudan have been resettled to Canada with the support of IOM Sudan so far this year. This represents 50 percent of Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship commitment to resettle of 3,500 refugees from Sudan in the fiscal year ending 31 March 2017.

Canada is among the five countries who have agreed to accept referrals from UNHCR as part of the international effort to secure durable solutions for refugees in Sudan through resettlement to a third country. Over 98 percent of the refugees resettling from Sudan to Canada are Eritreans. The remainder are Ethiopians.

“In August alone, over 430 refugees entered Canada on commercial flights from Sudan, representing the highest monthly total this year. This was achieved through excellent cooperation between the Canadian embassies in Khartoum, Cairo and Rome, UNHCR, and our counterparts in the Government of Sudan,” said IOM Sudan Chief of Mission Mario Lito Malanca.

Canada’s Multiyear Resettlement Commitment is overseen by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and supported by IOM, UNHCR and other implementing partners. IOM provides resettlement services, including pre-departure medical examinations and treatment, cultural orientation and transport from Sudan to final destinations in Canada.

Salah Bendaoud, Head of Mission at the Embassy of Canada in Khartoum, noted: “As a nation, we have welcomed generations of newcomers who have helped build a prosperous society rich in diversity and its mosaic of cultures. We value the positive partnership with IOM and UNHCR, as well as the assistance from the Government of Sudan, to help this group of refugees to reach their new destination: Canada.”

Since 2005, IOM Sudan has helped over 20,000 non-Sudanese refugees to resettle in 19 different destinations in North America, Europe and the Pacific. Over 41 percent have so far been resettled to Canada. 

Sudan has continued to host migrants, among whom are people who have been refugees for over four decades. According to the 2016 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan, there are currently 508,000 registered refugees in the country. Over 126,000 (25 percent) are in Eastern Sudan, which has the largest refugee camp in Sudan. Their main country of origin is Eritrea.

In Sudan, the Government of Canada currently supports various IOM programmes including refugee resettlement, emergency preparedness and response; as well as supporting food security and livelihood improvement initiatives in communities affected by population mobility. 

For further information, please contact Dalia El Roubi at IOM Sudan, Tel.:+249 9121-54652 Email: delroubi@iom.int