ERITREA: UNHCR ends refugee status for Eritreans

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Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
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ERITREA: UNHCR ends refugee status for Eritreans

NAIROBI, 9 May (IRIN) - The United Nations is to end the refugee status of
hundreds of thousands of Eritreans who have fled decades of fighting in
their country, the UN said on Wednesday.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said they were no
longer at risk from war – which has blighted the country for more than 30
years. Refugee status was first granted to fleeing Eritreans in the early
1960s during their bitter war for independence, which was finally achieved
in 1993. Then the war with Ethiopia broke out in May 1998 prompted more
Eritreans to flee, until it ended in December 2000 after the two countries
signed the Algiers peace agreement.

"I believe that these two groups of refugees from Eritrea should no longer
have a fear of persecution or other reasons to continue to be regarded as
refugees," said Ruud Lubbers, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. "They will
therefore cease to be regarded as refugees by my Office with effect from the
end of this year."

The largest number of the remaining Eritrean refugees are in neighbouring
Sudan. UNHCR is helping 140,000 of them in camps in eastern Sudan, while
thousands of others have spontaneously settled in urban centres. More than
44,000 Eritrean refugees have been repatriated from Sudan with UNHCR
assistance. About 5,000 Eritrean refugees also remain in Ethiopia and Yemen.
A statement issued from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva said: "The worldwide
cessation will take effect on 31 December and will affect hundreds of
thousands of Eritreans in neighbouring countries.

"The root causes of the Eritrean refugee problem no longer exist, as
fundamental and durable changes have occurred with the end of the
30-year-old war with Ethiopia in 1991 and Eritrean independence in 1993.
Similarly, peace has returned with the signing of a ceasefire agreement
between Ethiopia and Eritrea in June 2000 and the establishment of a
UN-supervised
security buffer zone between the two countries. The acceptance of the recent
decision of the International Border Commission by both countries has
contributed further to confidence-building," the statement said.

More than 100,000 Eritreans have already gone home, either on their own or
under a continuing voluntary repatriation operation launched in May 2001.
UNHCR said it would continue to assess the claims of individuals who came
forward to seek continued asylum beyond 2002. "Those found to be still in
need of international protection will be able to remain in their current
host country as refugees, the statement said, adding: "Those who do not
qualify for asylum after 2002, but do not wish to return home because of
strong family, social or economic links with the host country will be
expected to legalise their stay there."

[ENDS]

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