IOM appeals for assistance to transport stranded south Sudanese home
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Friday appealed for urgent monetary assistance to help transport thousands of stranded South Sudanese from the north to the south, as a deadline agreed upon for their relocation is approaching.
“IOM is urgently appealing for US$3 million to enable it to airlift to South Sudan 12-15,000 South Sudanese currently stranded in Kosti, White Nile State, 200 km south of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum,” the organization said in a statement obtained by PANA here.
It said the plan was to start the voluntary movement on Sunday (12 May), but that it currently has only US$2.5 million of the US$5.5 million it needs to carry out the operation.
The operational plan envisages moving people by bus from Kosti to Khartoum and then by air from Khartoum to Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
The statement explained that there were currently no direct commercial flights between Khartoum and Juba and, because of the conflict in the border area between the two countries and the rainy season, road transport is limited to destinations just inside the South Sudan border, where tensions remain high and large numbers of people are already waiting in transit camps for onward transportation.
The IOM said it would need to hire some 25 buses and charter up to 100 flights to move the entire Kosti caseload.
It will also have to pay for medical screening and supplies, operations staff and escorts, overnight accommodation for the returnees and food.
"We need to get clear donor commitments at the outset of this operation to avoid any sudden mid-way stoppage due to lack of funds. This is a complex operation and any disruption will have severe consequences for these people, many of whom are very vulnerable," says IOM Sudan Chief of Mission Jill Helke.
An estimated 12,000-15,000 South Sudanese have been in Kosti way station for up to a year waiting for transport to enable them to complete the final leg of their journey to South Sudan.
Most have been living in makeshift shelters in very difficult conditions, entirely dependent on aid agencies for basic necessities and services.
Two weeks ago, the Governor of the While Nile state, where Kosti is located, gave a deadline to all South Sudanese and international agencies to leave the area within a week.
Following representations from the international community, the Sudanese Government extended the deadline and agreed to facilitate IOM's airlift plan.
-0- PANA MO/SEG 11May2012
