This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR
at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Quoted text
from this briefing note may be attributed to the UNHCR spokesperson named
below
Delphine Marie - Public Information
Section
1. Iran/Afghanistan
More than 57,000 Afghans have returned home since the beginning a six-month voluntary repatriation program from Iran that began on April 8. Last week, a total of 4,680 Afghans returned home under the joint program between Iran and UNHCR. Refugees register for voluntary return at three operational centers - Tehran, Mashhad and Zahedan. Return convoys run three days a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. To date, there have been 43 convoys from Tehran; 42 convoys from Mashad; 12 convoys from Zahedan; and four convoys from Kerman. Single convoys have also been run from Kashan and Esfahan.
A total of 78.5% of the Afghan returnees said they were returning to one of three cities - Herat, Kabul or Ghazni. A breakdown by ethnic group shows that Tajiks, Pashtuns and Hazarahs compose more than 94% of the returnees. UNHCR's partners in the return program include IOM, MDM, IRC, WHO and UNICEF. MSF France also coordinates on health issues.
Screening of those Afghans who think they have valid reasons not to return to Afghanistan is the second component of the Joint Programme for the Repatriation of Afghan Refugees in Iran. The joint interview teams, each composed of one representative of the government (BAFIA) and one from UNHCR, examine the cases asking for protection. Should the decision of the interview team be negative, the claimant can lodge an appeal. Persons accepted will be given temporary documents which will give them the same rights as documented Afghans. Six Protection Screening Centers are now operational, in Mashad, Zahedan, Esfahan, Yazd, Shiraz and Kerman. As of last week, a total of 9,112 cases have been interviewed (almost 46,000 individuals). A total of 3,180 cases have been accepted, 3,849 cases rejected and 3,268 cases are pending.
2. D.R. Congo
Fighting in the northern province of Equateur in the Democratic Republic of Congo has prompted some 6,000 people to cross into the Central African Republic (CAR). On July 22 alone, 1,203 persons arrived in the CAR town of Zinga, situated along the Ubangui River opposite DRC territory. The new arrivals are mostly women and children. They say they are fleeing bombing by the Congolese army, reportedly around the town of Libenge. A UNHCR mission sent to the CAR town of Mongoumba this week reported seeing bombs being dropped on Libenge, which is on the other side of the river. Refugees are settling in small groups of 20-50 along the roads on the CAR side and are in need of food and shelter to keep out of the driving rain that has been falling for the past few days. UNHCR has sent some tents and blankets. Registration is also underway, an exercise that could reveal much higher numbers of refugees. CAR authorities in Mongoumba are keen to move them quickly away from the border area, which is very volatile.
MLC rebels are reportedly cruising the Ubangui River and are reportedly targeted by DRC planes. Their presence on the river makes it especially difficult for refugees to cross and they sometimes have to pay a fee to the rebels. Local authorities are also concerned about vaccination for the newcomers to prevent them from possibly spreading diseases among the local population.
The town of Libenge, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has around 20,000 inhabitants. Many have fled into the forest and many more could cross the Ubangui River to seek refuge in the Central African Republic.
Meanwhile, UNHCR staff had a high-level meeting with authorities in Brazzaville on Tuesday to discuss access to some 60-65,000 refugees along the northern Congo and Ubangui Rivers. UNHCR only has access to about 14,000 of them at the moment, in Liranga as well as Impfondo further north. The meeting was reported to be "very constructive" and the government ready to cooperate. UNHCR is planning a mission to Liranga tomorrow. UNHCR previously estimated there were some 2,000 refugees in Liranga, but that figure may have increased in recent days. The presence of shigella - a cholera-like disease - has also been confirmed in Liranga.
3. Eritrea Repatriation
UNHCR's repatriation program for some 90,000 Eritrean refugees in Sudan moved into high gear today with the deployment of more than 100 trucks. Weather permitting, around 3,000 refugees are expected to return today to Eritrea from the camps at Gulsa, Lafa and Shagarab in Sudan's eastern state of Kassala. Heavy rains earlier this week slowed down convoys, turning sand tracks into mud pits. Since the repatriation program started on Tuesday, 2,286 refugees have returned, mainly to Eritrea's Tesseney area.
The returnees are allowed to take back all belongings they had brought to Sudan when they fled ahead of Ethiopian forces on an offensive in May. Returning trucks are loaded with refrigerators, TV sets, mattresses and furniture. They also bring home blankets, plastic sheets and kitchen sets which UNHCR had distributed in the camps. A two-month food ration is distributed upon departure.
In Tesseney, the refugees are given tea and biscuits before they go home. In the past weeks, more shops have reopened in the area, following many spontaneous returns from Sudan and elsewhere inside Eritrea. There is a lot of destruction in Tesseney and people will have to start planting crops immediately if they want to take any advantage of this rainy season. There are security problems as well in the southwest of Eritrea, including the presence of land mines. Some areas are reportedly still occupied by Ethiopian forces and some returnees will have to remain in transit centers until the deployment of peacekeeping forces.
This document is intended for public information purposes only. It is not an official UN document.