Starting on July 7, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) will put a pause on making decisions for Sudan asylum seekers in the next six months.
The decision was taken by the Minister for Migration due to fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary troops of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), but it will not affect Sudanese foreign nationals who have exhausted all legal means, as they can continue their stay in the country, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“The IND assesses whether someone comes under the decision and/or departure moratorium. The statutory decision period of current and new asylum applications by Sudanese will be extended by one year, up to a maximum of 21 months,” the Immigration Services said in a press release.
The same measure applies to applications yet to be submitted in the next six months. Sudanese who have exhausted all legal means will not be required to return to Sudan and will maintain the right to accommodation and other facilities.
While there isn’t a clear indication of how to situation will further be developed, Minister for Justice and Security, E. Van der Burg, has noted that the IND will have to decide on asylum applications that were filed more than 21 months ago.
Data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) dated May 28, 2023, has shown that at least 730 people have been killed and around 5,500 injured since the fighting began on April 15. In addition, more than 1.4 million people have been displaced, of which more than 330,000 have fled to surrounding neighboring countries.
The International Organisation for Migration previously revealed that more than 700,000 people had fled their homes in Sudan in search of a better life as fighting between rival military factions continued.
IOM spokesperson Paul Dillon said during a press conference in Geneva that more than 700,000 people were now displaced within Sudan since the fighting began, while earlier in 2023, the UN agency said about 340,000 people were internally displaced.
“It’s very difficult right now (for them) to find money. The ATMs aren’t working, and the banking system is not functioning. Fuel is difficult to come by and expensive,” Dillon noted.
At the same briefing, the World Health Organization pointed out that 604 people had been killed and more than 5,000 injured since the violence erupted on April 15 between the rivals in Sudan.