UNHCR ends refugee status for Eritreans

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."