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Ad-Hoc Query on returns of rejected asylum seekers to North Darfur and Somalia (pdf, 206 kB)

Summary

None of the respondents could specifically report about returns to North Darfur, only if returns were to Sudan, as there is no classification according to the region of origin. There is in fact little statistical information available on case processing regarding Sudanese asylum seekers. In the EMN AHQ Germany, Norway, the UK, Sweden and the NL report that they practice voluntary and forced returns to Sudan and Somalia though the actual incidents of forced returns to Sudan are very small in number; just 1 – 5 in each country in 2013.

According to Eurostat, there was a total number of 2 580 asylum applicants from Sudan in 2013 in the EU & Norway. Of these, 1 570 received negative decisions. That represents a 60% rejection rate on average. According to the respondents in the recent EMN AHQ (see attached documents), only about 12 persons were returned by force to Sudan (though some of the returnees might not have been asylum seekers). Again, according to Eurostat,   14 470 applications were received from Somali asylum seekers in the EU & Norway in 2013. Of these, 5 465 received rejections on their applications. This represents a 38% rejection rate. According to Eurostat, "Sweden is by far the country with the highest number of asylum applicants per million inhabitants in Q4 2013, almost 2 000 per million inhabitant." Sweden had a 67% rejection rate of asylum applicants from Somalia, and yet.... they only returned 9 persons to Somalia by force in 2013, while Norway had a rejection rate of 41% and yet returned 24.

The most remarkable statistics in this AHQ is Norway’s significantly high number of forced returns to Somalia in 2013: 24 (according to police statistics) and Sweden’s voluntary return of the same number of persons to Somalia. The attached excel spreadsheet provides an overview of the most relevant numbers taken from the EMN AHQ as well as from Eurostat.  If one  looks at ALL the asylum applicants in 2013 to the EU and Norway, Norway rejected 51%, Sweden 46%, The Netherlands 38%, Denmark 59% while Germany had 73% and the UK 61%. The rejection average for the EU MS (and Norway) was 65%. There is nothing terribly remarkable about Norway’s percentage of rejections seen in this light – though these statistics do not shine a light on cases from the Sudan and Somalia, they do instil confidence that generally Norway’s asylum decisions generally are in harmony with other states. The issue does not seem to be how many are rejected, but whether the MS practice forced return to these countries or not, and to what extent.

Belgium reports “Due to the general situation in Somalia, the General Inspectorate for Immigration performs only voluntary returns to Somalia, upon request of the returnee. Voluntary returns to Somalia are being carried out by the Immigration Office in Belgium, but no reintegration assistance can be provided by Fedasil. Belgian authorities aren’t currently implementing forced returns of rejected asylum seekers to Somalia. In 2013, no person was voluntarily returned from Belgium to Somalia.” See attached document for further details.