Lots of of British nationals have been evacuated from the preventing in Sudan.
However when she was requested whether or not the UK was going to “begin taking a look at protected routes for refugees from Sudan [who are not British nationals]”, Dwelling Secretary Suella Braverman replied: “We have now no plans to try this.”
The prime minister confirmed the federal government’s present precedence was getting British nationals out.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick was later requested in Parliament what “protected and authorized” routes to the UK can be obtainable to a teen desirous to flee the battle in Sudan.
He mentioned: “The United Nations is working in most, if not all, of the nations surrounding Sudan,” including that “the most effective recommendation clearly can be for people to current to the UNHCR. We already function protected and authorized routes with them.”
The UNHCR is the UN’s refugee company.
However the SNP’s Alison Thewliss identified that the UNHCR had earlier issued a press release saying: “There isn’t a mechanism via which refugees can strategy UNHCR with the intention of looking for asylum within the UK.”
Mr Jenrick rejected her feedback: “Regardless of the honourable girl could also be quoting from her iPhone, I would like to take at face worth what I’ve heard in dialogue with the assistant commissioner [of the UNHCR].”
‘Lifesaving mechanism’
Mr Jenrick and Ms Thewliss have been each referring to the UNHCR’s resettlement scheme.
Underneath this, the UNHCR identifies refugees who’re thought of to be “notably in danger” within the nations to which they’ve initially fled.
These are individuals who can’t combine within the nation the place they’ve initially sought refuge but additionally can’t return residence.
These “refugees at heightened threat” are then resettled in companion nations such because the UK, however it’s UNHCR officers who advocate the place they need to go.
That route is just obtainable to about 1% of refugees worldwide.
“Though a vital and lifesaving mechanism, resettlement will not be an answer for many refugees, and doesn’t change the proper to hunt asylum itself,” the UNHCR mentioned.
Looking for asylum usually includes going to a rustic and claiming asylum as soon as you might be there.
Resettlement includes shifting individuals from the primary nation the place they sought refuge to a different nation that’s extra appropriate.
Refugees usually need to be registered with the UNHCR to be thought of for resettlement.
However the UNHCR advised the BBC that the UK is just presently accepting Afghan nationals for resettlement. Which means that registering with the UNHCR wouldn’t present a route for anybody else to return to the UK.
So Mr Jenrick’s suggestion that folks in Sudan wanting to flee to the UK ought to “current to the UNHCR” was not right.
We requested the Dwelling Workplace concerning the UNHCR assertion and the federal government’s present place on protected and authorized routes from Sudan.
We have been pointed in the direction of the remark from Ms Braverman quoted above, and advised there was no additional remark at this level.
Based on UK statistics, final yr 218 individuals from Sudan got here to the UK beneath the UNHCR resettlement scheme.
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