UNHCR press briefing 1 Ending of refugee status for Rwandans approaching 2- UNHCR alarmed at IDP deaths in Rakhine State, western Myanmar 3- UNHCR reinforces assistance to refugee hosting countries, ahead of Mali elections This is a summary of what was said by the UNHCR spokesperson at today’s Palais des Nations press briefing in Geneva. 1 - Ending of refugee status for Rwandans approaching In October 2009, UNHCR announced a strategy for bringing to proper closure the situation of Rwandan refugees who fled their country before 31 December 1998. The strategy contains four components: voluntary repatriation, local integration, retention of refugee status for people still in need of international protection, and finally the invocation of the so-called cessation clause. Cessation clauses are built into the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 Organization of African Unity Refugee Convention. They provide for refugee status to end once fundamental and durable changes have taken place in the country of origin and the circumstances that led to flight no longer exist. In the case of Rwanda, UNHCR has recommended that cessation come into effect from 30 June 2013. All the major asylum countries hosting the Rwandan refugees, as well as Rwanda itself, have been implementing the strategy and following a Ministerial meeting on 18 April 2013 in Pretoria, they have agreed to apply cessation at different rates. This means that some states are moving ahead with giving effect to cessation of refugee status while other governments in view of domestic legal and practical constraints prefer to push forward the other components of the strategy first. All are indeed pursuing the respective components of that strategy, including local integration-- namely the grant to the Rwandan refugees who would qualify alternative legal status, including the prospect of naturalization. UNHCR is working very closely with all the Governments and other stakeholders concerned, including, the refugees themselves, on the implementation of the different aspects of the strategy beyond 30 June 2013. More than 3.5 million Rwandans became refugees in the wake of the 1994 genocide and armed clashes in northwestern Rwanda in 1997 and 1998 – the last time the country experienced generalized violence. All but an estimated 100,000 have since returned home, owing to lasting peace and stability in their country. The remaining 100,000 Rwandan refugees are hosted mainly by Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In line with its mandate, UNHCR is working to solve protracted refugee situations in Africa. Cessation of refugee status for Sierra Leonean refugees took place in 2008 and for Angolan and Liberian refugees on 30 June last year. 2 - UNHCR alarmed at IDP deaths in Rakhine State, western Myanmar The UN refugee agency is concerned at a violent incident yesterday in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state that killed two internally displaced people and wounded six others – including two minors. The incident took place on Thursday morning in the Kyein Ni Pyin IDP camp in Pauktaw township of Rakhine state. This is a site where UNHCR has been building temporary shelters for some 4,400 Rohingya displaced by last year’s inter-communal violence. The incident is believed to have started over a dispute between displaced people and a village leader. A reportedly poor relationship between them had been compounded by false rumours that displaced people would be isolated and prevented from returning to their places of origin. When some of the displaced gathered at a nearby military post asking that the leader be handed over, gunfire was used by the authorities to disperse the crowd and resulting in the fatalities and wounding. UNHCR staff arrived at the scene shortly after to follow up with the victims’ families and facilitate medical attention to the injured. We are also concerned about the safety of the village leader and his family. UNHCR is calling for an investigation into the incident. We are appealing to the authorities to handle the matter in a peaceful and calm way to avoid fuelling further violence and loss of life. We are also calling for dialogue between the involved parties to resolve the grievance. Joint efforts by the government, community leaders and humanitarian actors are also needed to dispel rumours about the rights of displaced people to return to their places of origin in Kyein Ni Pyin and other villages where these sentiments have been emerging. As the lead agency for shelter, camp coordination, camp management and protection in the humanitarian response in Rakhine state, UNHCR’s current priority is to provide temporary relief for the displaced during the rainy season. We strongly believe that the government must build confidence with the communities and promote reconciliation, so that those displaced can eventually return to their areas of origin. Thursday’s tragic incident also indicates the urgent need to strengthen the camp coordination and camp management work which is grossly underfunded despite current needs. A year after the first wave of inter-communal violence erupted in June 2012, there are still up to 140,000 people displaced within Rakhine state. 3 - UNHCR reinforces assistance to refugee hosting countries, ahead of Mali elections With a month to go before the 28 July presidential elections in Mali UNHCR is strengthening its role in helping neighbouring countries deal with out-of-country voting for Malian refugees. Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania together host 175,000 Malian refugees from the recent conflict there. Refugees eligible to vote in exile are people already registered in the Malian Administrative Civil Status Census done in 2010. UNHCR is supporting the participation of refugees in these elections, although our role is limited to a strictly humanitarian and non-political one. We are providing refugees with practical information on their right to participate in the elections and we are also providing some transportation. In Burkina Faso, we have undertaken awareness campaigns in all refugee camps (Goudoubo, Mentao and Sag-nioniogo), as well as spontaneous refugee sites (Dibissi, Tin Hedja, Deou and Gountouré Gnégné) and in urban settings with concentration of refugees (Bobo-Dioulasso, Ouagadougo and Ouahigouya). Voting will be on a voluntary basis and refugees are being informed accordingly. We are letting people know that personal information and data held by UNHCR is not being shared with the Malian government, and advising on steps to take should people come under pressure from any person or party involved in the election. Between last Tuesday (25 June) and today, and with UNHCR logistics, transportation, and translation support, ten Malian teams deployed by the Malian Embassy have started registering refugees for the vote. Of 49,945 refugees in camps and spontaneous sites, 18,409 are of voting age (age 18 and above). The registration process is being monitored by Burkina Faso’s national refugee commission CONAREF (Commission nationale pour les refugies). Participation of refugees in registration was low at first but has since picked up. Registration figures should be available in the next days. The names of those who registered will be transmitted to the Bamako authorities so that their electoral cards can be sent to Burkina Faso and then distributed to the refugees. Similar arrangements are in place in Niger and Mauritania. In Niger, which is hosting some 50,000 Malian refugees, teams from the Malian Consulate have registered voters in the Mangaize and Tabareybarey camps. The exercise is continuing in the Abala camp, as well as in the Intekan and Tassalit refugee hosting areas (in the Tahoua region), with UNHCR logistics support. In Mauritania, which hosts 75,000 Malian refugees in Mbera camp, preparations for the registration of Malian voters are on-going. Consultations between the Mauritanian authorities, the Malian embassy in Nouakchott and UNHCR are continuing. UNHCR is providing logistics support. UNHCR has previously facilitated out-of-country voting by refugees in South Sudan in 2011, in Iraq in 2010 and in Afghanistan in 2004. END
Posted on: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 05:20:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015