Sudan agrees on transporting 12,000 South Sudan citizens

The Sudanese government on Sunday announced its agreement on transporting around 12,000 South Sudanese citizens stranded on the border via an air bridge to be built by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Sudanese Minister of Social Welfare Amira Al-Fadil told reporters that her government has agreed on transporting an estimated number of 12,000 to 15,000 South Sudanese citizens stranded at Kosti port via an air bridge in the coming days.

"This move comes as part of an agreement between the Sudanese government and the IOM. We will work to provide all the necessary services for the returnees and remove all the barriers that hamper the transportation process," she added.

Around 12,000 Southern Sudanese citizens have been stranded at Kosti port in Sudan's White Nile State because of the violence on the border between the two countries.

The IOM said the refugees would be transported by buses to Khartoum and then by air to Juba, capital of South Sudan.

White Nile State Governor Yousif Al-Shambaly earlier announced that South Sudan's refugees constituted a security threat on the country and demanded that they should be transported this month.