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An operation to repatriate a further 43,800 Somali refugees from eastern Ethiopia to northwestern Somalia by the end of the year is on schedule to resume in the next few days, a UNHCR spokesman told IRIN Thursday. The confirmation follows a contribution to the programme from the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) of Euro 1.5 million (about US $1.3 million). Since the operation commenced in November 1997, UNHCR have supported the voluntary return home of 164,000 Somali refugees, many of whom had lived in camps in Ethiopia for more than a decade. In June, UNHCR announced the closure of Teferi Ber and Derwanaje, camps that at their peak in the 1990’s housed more than 200,000 refugees. With the start of the latest round of voluntary repatriations, UNHCR hope to close a further three camps within twelve months and bring the number of Somali refugees remaining in Ethiopia to around 15,000. [for more details, see IRIN separate: UNHCR to resume Somali refugee repatriation]
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