Sudan’s embassy in Kampala receives the first batch of stolen Sudanese vehicles

Sudan’s embassy in Kampala said that on Tuesday, it received the first batch of cars belonging to Sudanese nationals that were looted during the war and later detained by the International Criminal Police (Interpol) office in Uganda, before completing the procedures for returning them to their owners.

The Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Babiker Samra, announced arrangements and coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant authorities, for the voluntary return of 4,000 Sudanese citizens from Uganda.

The Sudanese embassy in Kampala said in a statement that the delivery of the first batch of cars belonging to Sudanese citizens that had been looted during the war took place in the presence of Sudan’s ambassador to Uganda, Ahmed Ibrahim Jarda, embassy staff, and the director of the Interpol office in Kampala, Joseph Obono, along with the owners of the cars, but the statement did not indicate the number of cars that were received.

The embassy said the Interpol office officially handed over the vehicles to their owners after completing technical and legal procedures, following a detention that lasted about a year and a half.

Some of these vehicles were allegedly looted by members of the Rapid Support Forces at gunpoint, before being seized when they entered Ugandan territory through land crossings with the South Sudan, the statement said. The owners of the vehicles had filed reports about them with the Interpol office in Sudan in order to preserve their rights and recover their property, he said.

In his speech during the handover ceremony, Ambassador Ahmed Ibrahim Jarda expressed his thanks to the Ugandan government and the Interpol office for their cooperation and tight coordination with the embassy during the past period, which contributed to the recovery of the cars.

The ambassador called on the rest of the car owners who have not completed their procedures to expedite the completion of their files and documents in preparation for receiving their vehicles, and appealed to all those who have looted property to register a report with the Interpol office in Sudan to ensure that their rights are preserved.

He stressed the embassy’s readiness to provide the necessary support to any Sudanese citizen whose property is detained in Uganda, in coordination with the competent authorities.

In addition, the Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Babiker Samra Mustafa, said that the return of Sudanese refugees who are in Uganda is an issue of concern to a number of government institutions, stressing that the Ministry of Interior will make all efforts to enable these citizens to return.

The Minister pointed out that there is coordination and arrangement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant authorities for the voluntary return of 4,000 Sudanese nationals citizens from Uganda.