Lack of clarity as to whether Guinea's border with Liberia is open or not could delay the resumption of a programme to repatriate Liberian refugees, according to a senior UNHCR official.
The repatriation of Liberian refugees from Guinea was to have been completed by 31 December 1999 but was suspended in August 1999 when border posts were closed following security incidents in northern Liberia.
Liberia's government reopened its border with Guinea on 10 February. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the decision resulted from "improved security conditions," a UN source in Monrovia told IRIN.
UNHCR's Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Abou Moussa told IRIN: "We need to talk to the Guinean government and obtain clarification on whether they will open the border so we can restart the Liberian repatriation programme."
"Out of the 133,000 Liberian refugees currently in Guinea, 33,000 have registered to return home immediately," he said. "Once the repatriation process starts it will encourage others to register."
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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