More than 1500 internally displaced people (IDPs) have been assisted by IOM over the past month to voluntarily return to former homes in southern parts of the Blue Nile State.

By May, a minimum of 3,000 IDPs are expected to be assisted to areas surrounding Kurmuk from northern parts of the Blue Nile State in partnership with UNHCR. This will allow them sufficient time to get settled before the start of the planting and rainy season. Registration facilitated by UNHCR is ongoing to determine the overall number of IDPs to be assisted in Blue Nile State until the end of the year.

In one movement, an entire community was relocated by IOM from Jocob town to their new home in Khor Bodi. "The receiving community had constructed a new school in preparation of the expected returns," explained Nelson Bosch, head of IOM's office in Damazine in the Blue Nile State. "So, in addition to the personal belongings of the IDPs, IOM also transported in this case all the school furniture and equipment."

The organized returns in Blue Nile State are part of an overall joint return plan for 2007 that was agreed upon by the Government of National Unity (GoNU), the Government of South Sudan (GoSS), the UN and IOM. Other operations include the voluntary return of IDPs from Khartoum to South Sudan and South Kordofan and helping those displaced in South Darfur return to home communities in Northern Northern Bahr el Ghazal and elsewhere within South Sudan.

All IDP returnees on organized movements receive assistance consisting of basic household items provided by the United Nations Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC) and a three month food ration by the World Food Programme (WFP) to help them during the initial reintegration period in home villages after many years of displacement.

Refugee returns from Ethiopia to Blue Nile State in Sudan has also resumed. Two convoys carrying nearly 3160 refugees arrived in Sudan on 1 and 3 March after being escorted by IOM from Bonga camp in Ethiopia. They were taken to Jindi in Kurmuk County and to Keli.

Blue Nile, which borders Ethiopia, is a major receiving state for refugees returning home. In partnership with UNHCR, IOM had facilitated the return of more than 2,000 refugees from Bonga camp in Ethiopia to Chali in Blue Nile State in an operation that began last December. However, operations were halted for security reasons by the UN in January.

UNHCR and IOM have agreed to assist up to 15,000 Sudanese refugees from Ethiopia and Kenya and another 5,000 Sudanese refugees from the Central African Republic to return home in 2007. IOM provides mainly pre-departure medical screening, transportation and escort for the refugees.

For further information contact Birgit Huss Birgit Hussfeld bhussfeld@iom.int or Simona Opitz sopitz@iom.int Public Information, International Organization for Migration (IOM), www.iom.int IOM- Sudan, Khartoum office, Tel: +249 / 183 570 801 / 2 / 3 / 4 ext. 153