One million refugees in Sudan

The strategic Sudanese report for 1996 issued by the Sudanese Center for Strategic Studies mentioned that the number of refugees in Sudan is almost a million.

The report mentioned that the Eritrean refugees top the list with 586.811 thousand refugees, the number of the Ethiopian refugees is 232.379 and the number of Zairian refugees is 3000, while the Somali refugees came last with 419.

The report also mentioned that the great number of refugees gives Sudan the first ranking among African countries in hosting refugees within its borders and the second in the world after Pakistan.

The history of political asylum dates back to 1965 after waves of refugees migrated from Congo, the year 1967 witnessed the mass migration of Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees. Most refugees reside in the middle provinces and represent a great burden on the Sudanese government.