Supporting displaced persons

Training initiative for refugees in Sudan

The German government will help support refugees in Sudan with a training initiative. The aim is that they should have better options for remaining in the country and building themselves a future there. Thomas Silberhorn, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, who is on a three-day visit to Sudan, announced the new initiative today.

"Many refugees in Sudan face a hopeless situation," Silberhorn said. "A large majority of them are living in isolated camps with no hope of getting work or earning a living. The dangerous onward journey to Europe is often the only way out. The pressure to leave Africa and migrate to Europe is very much greater than we realise."

Sudan is an important host and transit country for refugees. About 350,000 people, mainly from Eritrea and South Sudan, have found refuge there.

The assistance being provided by Germany will enable refugees to receive training so that they have the possibility to earn a living, for example, by working in the agricultural sector, by making furniture or as auto mechanics. Local communities that are hosting refugees will also receive support in the form of school meals, repairs to school buildings and hospitals or measures to improve the water supply.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is investing a total of 35 million euros altogether in these efforts to reduce migratory pressure in Sudan. The work is being carried out in close coordination with the aid programmes of the UN agencies operating in the country.

During his meetings with the Sudanese government, Silberhorn also raised the question of refugees' rights. Because of the problematic human rights situation, Germany’s bilateral development cooperation with Sudan was suspended in the 1990s. Since then only non-governmental projects have been supported.