Sudanese head home for census
2008-03-17 15:19
Juba - Thousands of Sudanese from the south who were displaced by years of civil war were rushing home ahead of a crucial census scheduled to take place next month, a senior official said on Monday.
Four convoys of about 3 000 returnees were headed south on Monday, with three more convoys to follow next week, said Simon Kun Puoc, chairperson of the southern Sudan relief and rehabilitation commission.
"As of today, we have four convoys coming to Upper Nile," Puoc said, referring to a southern Sudan state that bordered the northern areas.
"That's the largest number of returnees we have registered," he added, claiming that many left behind an easier life in Khartoum to return for the census, which would be carried out nationwide from April 15 to 30.
1.5m southerners remain in Khartoum
Sudan's census, the first since 1993, was to provide the most complete count to date of Sudan's estimated 39 million people and redraw or confirm the power-sharing balance between northerners and southerners.
Puoc said about 1.5 million southerners remained in Khartoum and an unknown number elsewhere in the north who were not registered.
The UN refugee agency had also said it was expecting a surge in repatriation movements from countries bordering southern Sudan ahead of the census.
Last week, the UNHCR reported 15 700 organised returns since January, amounting to three times the number during the same period last year.
The refugee weekly return rate increased from 600 people at the beginning of the year to 3 000 at the beginning of March, said spokesperson Fatoumata Kaba.
Of the returnees, close to 10 000 were from Uganda and February returns from Kenya surged to 2 500, surpassing the 600 monthly average.
"The trend is expected to continue over the coming months," said Kaba.