About 100,000 Syrian refugees in Sudan: COR

Estimates from the Government of Sudan’s Commission of Refugees (COR) indicate that since 2011 Sudan has received a considerable number of Syrian refugees, with the number of arrivals estimated at 100,000 people.

According to the latest weekly OCHA Humanitarian Bulletin, the current policy of the government of the Sudan is to receive all Syrian nationals coming to the country with no visa required for entry. Syrians are granted access to state health and education services. The majority of new arrivals have settled in the wider Khartoum area and have become integrated into urban host communities, including an older pre-existing Syrian community.

The main concerns of Syrian arrivals pertain to economic hardship, including accommodation and living costs, lack of access to income-generating opportunities, and lack of access to psychosocial support particularly for children. Joint UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and COR registration of Syrians at the Refugee Counselling Services (RCS) Centre resumed on 8 November 2015, with 5,515 Syrian refugees being registered by the end of August 2016.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) provides registered Syrian refugees with access to the same services and assistance as other registered refugees living in Khartoum, including targeted financial assistance issued through ATM cards for those who are identified as extremely vulnerable.

By the end of September 2016, about 4.8 million Syrian refugees sought shelter and assistance in neighbouring countries – Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, according to UNHCR. This figure does not include Syrians in Sudan and other countries, the OCHA Bulletin says.