UN High Commissioner for Refugees Visits Kassala State 

Kassala, Aug.22(SUNA)-The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, accompanied  by the UNHCR Special Envoy for Horn of Africa, Ambassador Mohamed Abde, the Refugee Commissioner in Sudan and a number of representatives of the European Union  countries, arrived in Kassala State today.

 He was received by the Acting Wali (governor) and  Secretary-General of the Government of the Kassala State, Al Tayeb Mohamed Al Sheikh.

The Acting Wali welcomed the visit of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to the State , stressing importance of the visit in  supporting  protection of  the refugees efforts  in addition to supporting infrastructures of the  basic services for communities which are hosting the refugees.

He reviewed  the great  challenges facing the State from  existence and flows of refugees, calling on the international  organizations  to play bigger roles towards  issues of refugees amid   limited resources of the State which has seen new influxes  of refugees  due to continuation of conflict in Ethiopia.

The  visit  of the UNHCR senior official  to Kassala State aims to inspect situations at the  refugee camps within framework of getting acquanited  with   the ongoing arrangements  for holding the  high-level meeting on finding sustainable  solutions to issues of refugees, displaced people,  returnees and the host communities  in Sudan  and South Sudan which came at initiative from IGAD in collaboration with UNHCR.

It is to be noted that Mr. Filippo Grandi arrived in the Country Saturday on a two-day visit  during which he will visit States of Kassala and  Gedarif and that he will meet with the Prime Minister , Dr Abdalla Hamdouk, Foreign Minister, Dr Mariam Al Sadiq Al Mahdi and Minister of Interior , Gen(police) Izz-Eddin Al Sheikh.

AB/AB

Source: SUNA