Migrants NGO: Most migrants not going back despite Sudan deal
By YONAH JEREMY BOBA boy takes part in a protest against the Israeli government's plan to deport African migrants, in Tel Aviv, Israel March 24, 2018. (photo credit: REUTERS/CORINNA KERN)
The leading NGO for African migrants' issues on Sunday said that the vast majority of them will not necessarily be sent back to their countries of origin despite the Sudan-Israel normalization process.The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants said that of the around 30,000 African migrants currently in Israel, only around 6,200 are from the Sudan region, and of these 4,400 are from the Darfur, Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile regions.In other words, the NGO said that since there is still civil war and war crimes going on in Darfur, Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile, the group of 4,400 could not be sent back unless the war ends and their future safety would be ensured.Until now, Israel’s main position in court for being unable to send Sudanese migrants back to their country of origin was the absence of diplomatic relations.With this weekend’s announced breakthrough moving toward normalization between Israel and Sudan, a number of political officials have been predicting that thousands of Sudanese migrants in Israel could be sent back.Besides the additional war crimes and safety issue to sending back migrants from the Darfur, Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile regions who are in Israel, the hotline said that 5,119 Sudan-region migrants have filed requests to be recognized as refugees.The hotline said that these requests must be individually reviewed and processed and that the group as a whole cannot be simply ignored and sent back to Sudan.Moreover, the hotline said that the state has previously committed to the High Court of Justice that it would not send back any migrants to the Sudan region if there was any kind of danger due to instability and war.In an interview on Thursday with The Jerusalem Post, the hotline did say that it would not necessarily oppose the return of migrants to Sudan across the board as it does with Eritrea.Rather, the NGO said that its position was that requests for refugee recognition must be properly reviewed and decided on an individual basis.
Further, it admitted that there was a segment of Sudanese migrants in Israel who would be ready to return to Sudan voluntarily if the normalization deal works out and permits them to return.
