About 20,000 Sudanese citizens have arrived in Khartoum city after being deported by the Saudi Arabian government for failing to meet residency requirements in the country, a senior government official said.

Karar Al-Tuhami, Secretary General of the Sudanese Expatriates Organ, told the press that they had received 20,000 Sudanese citizens from Saudi Arabia, and expected 30,000 more to be deported back within the coming days.

Al-Tuhami further said Sudan is prepared to receive its deported citizens, saying they were able to facilitate the return of more than 60,000 Sudanese who were deported from Libya, Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen and South Sudan after security situation deteriorated in those countries.

The official confirmed that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has pledged to transport the deported Sudanese from Saudi Arabia through Jeddah, Port Sudan.

In late March, the government of Saudi Arabia carried out a campaign against foreigners illegally residing in the country. All those who did not meet the requirements for residency were given three months to legalize their stay or be deported.