Thousands of displaced unable to return home

The presence of land mines and absence of basic services continue to prevent the successful return of internally displaced people (IDPs) to their homes in war-affected areas of Eritrea. The Information Coordination Centre (ICC - a joint UN/Eritrean Refugee and Rehabilitation Commission - ERREC - body) said in its July update that ERREC had repatriated 106,446 IDPs from 10 IDP camps in the Debub Region to their home villages, but that some 13,000 IDPs who had been unable to return had been moved to six newly established temporary IDP camps around Tsorona and Senafe, southern Eritrea. “The number of those staying in temporary camps can be reduced to half if immediate action is taken to clear land mines, [and carry out] rehabilitation of the water facilities and shelter.” In Gash Barka, western Eritrea, ICC said IDP repatriation was continuing, with some 45,150 out of 88,770 IDPs transported to their villages. With around 5,000 IDPs expected to leave Mekete camp to their homes in Tokombia and Shambiko next week, camps in Mekete and Jejah will close. The IDPs unable to return to their home areas will be relocated to Korokon and Adi Keshi camps, and from Jejah camp will move back to Dembe-Doran, ICC said. The report explained that the strategy was to relocate IDPs closer to their villages and to encourage them to make best use existing resources to “enable easy return of IDPs once the obstacles to their return are solved”.