Sudan Conflict: 50 Cameroonians return home on voluntary repatriation

Fifty Cameroonians living in Sudan arrived at the Douala International Airport on Thursday, after opting to leave the country that has been gripped by a deadly internal conflict.

They came home via an Egyptian airplane, thanks to a collaboration between the Cameroon Government and the International Organisation for Migration.

The 50 nationals were received in Douala by Simon Pierre Omgba Mbida, Douala branch office head of the Ministry of External Relations.

“I was a student in Sudan, so when the current crisis started, it worried us a lot. We saw how people were dying, people were dying like birds and like animals. So we decided to abandon everything because life is very important,” one of the returnees, Ndzedzenyuy Zulkifli Mbimba, told CRTV.

Another returnee who identified as Mefire Moustapha, also said he opted for repartition because he could not cope with the fighting in Sudan.

“I was a student in Sudan learning Arabic Language. Now I’m fine. I’m very happy to come back because the situation in Sudan was not very good,” he said.

Cameroon is now among many countries that have repatriated their citizens from Sudan since civil war broke out between the country’s army and the Rapid Support Forces in April.

The Cameroon Government says it could not be indifferent to what was happening in the North African Country.

Simon Pierre Omgba who received the returnees said it was a sign of hope and was the responsibility of the government to protect Cameroonians wherever they are in the world.

At least 500 people have been killed in the civil war in Sudan and over 4,000 injured since the war broke out on April 15, media sources have reported.

By Tata Mbunwe