IOM: 44,000+ displaced by El Geneina violence have returned home

About 44,500 people displaced since the beginning of 2021 from various locations in and around El Geneina, West Darfur, due to insecurity and violence, have returned to their places of origin over the past few weeks, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported in its latest update on displacement in El Geneina.

In April, at least 144 people died and over 233 were wounded when violence erupted after two Masalit tribesmen were killed by Arab tribesmen.

IOM’s 19th Emergency Event Tracking update issued on 27 June estimates there are about 105,100 IDPs (21,000 families) in El Geneina and its surrounding villages. “Since the EET update of 27 May, there has been a 30 per cent decrease in people reported as displaced, mainly due to people returning to their locations of origin as the security situation stabilises. Between 27 May and 12 June 2021, IOM participated in a joint rapid verification exercise with the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and other humanitarian partners to verify displaced caseloads across 48 of the 93 displacement sites in El Geneina town.” The report says.

Of the 44,500 displace people who returned, close to 16,800 people went back to the Al Jebel neighbourhood, about 15,000 people to Krinding 1 and 2 camps, and about 6,800 people returned to other places in El Geneina. Moreover, 3,350 people returned to the Sultan House, and about 2,700 people returned to places outside El Geneina. The returns to places outside El Geneina are the lowest.

In its latest Sudan Situation Report, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that many displaced women at gathering sites in El Geneina suffer from anxiety and depression exacerbated by a sense of detachment from community and normal life.