With shattered dreams, first batch of Bangladeshis return home from Sudan

Highlights: 

• 136 Bangladeshis return home via Jeddah
• Remaining stranded Bangladeshis likely to arrive within 10 May
• $2 lakh allocated by the Wage Earners Welfare Board to bring back stranded Bangladeshis
• Each of the returnees given Tk5,000 assistance upon arrival
• Around 1500 Bangladeshis live in Sudan  

Many of the Bangladeshi nationals, who went to Sudan to see their fortune, have returned home from the crisis-hit African nation amid uncertainty looming over their future, with their dreams already being shattered.

"It would have been better to die, instead of returning to the country. How can I appear before my family in this condition," said 18-year-old Almas Mia from Tangail, one of the 136 returnees who came back from Sudan via Jeddah on Monday.   

The young expatriate, along with 18 other Bangladeshis, had to stay in a warehouse of their employer, for a couple of weeks, to avoid risks of violence.

"After the war situation started, we spent 14 consecutive days without electricity, and half-starved. As there was not enough food supply, we had to pass the days only by eating dates," thus he described the hardship they went through in the war-ravaged Sudan.   

"I could hear gunshots all over the place. Our residence was hit by bullets several times… its windows got shattered," Almas recalled the horror, as the fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces had already killed hundreds.

Almas Mia went to Sudan in February this year and worked at a cigarette factory in the Sudanese capital Khartoum for a monthly salary worth Tk30,000 BDT.

Almas said that he and his colleagues were in a lot of trouble collecting travel passes to return home, as their passports were confiscated by their employer.

However, there are 1,500 Bangladeshis stuck in Sudan, of whom 700 expressed their willingness to return home, according to the foreign ministry here.

On 2 May, a total of 673 Bangladeshis left Khartoum city for Port Sudan on 13 buses, arranged by the Bangladesh embassy.  

It was almost a 1200km bus ride to Port Sudan, according to the returnee Almas Mia.

The 136 Bangladeshi nationals who arrived this morning at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were supported by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) with air tickets through its internal emergency assistance funding mechanisms to travel from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Dhaka with coordinated support from the Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

Upon arrival, the returnees were provided with hot meals, refreshments and onward transportation allowance from the Wage Earners' Welfare Board (BDT 3,000) and IOM (BDT 2,000), facilitating their safe return back to their places of origin.

Receiving the returnees at the airport, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Minister Imran Ahmed said, "Don't worry. You have contributed significantly to our country, but unfortunately, you've lost everything in Sudan. Now, each of you is returning empty-handed. Rest assured, we are here to help and support you."

"The government will provide all possible financial assistance, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will be offering their support as well. Our primary goal is to alleviate any inconvenience you may face during this difficult time," he added.

The minister informed that two million dollars have been allocated to bring Bangladeshis back to the country from Sudan, and the Probashi Kallyan Bank will provide loans for their rehabilitation.

"The next batch of Bangladeshis from Sudan is scheduled to return home on 9 or 10 May," he added.