Returnees face water problems

More than 10,500 refugees have returned to the Gash Barka Zone of southwestern Eritrea since UNHCR began a repatriation operation from Sudan on 12 May. UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski said most of the returnees who fled the recent Eritrea-Ethiopian conflict had been able to regain their land and homes, but some had approached UNHCR and Eritrean authorities for assistance in rehabilitating damaged homes. Some 62,000 refugees are expected to be brought from neighbouring Sudan back to Eritrea by the end of the year, according to UNHCR. Refugees who had chosen to return to Gash Barka after decades of exile in Sudan were being allocated land by local authorities. Where available, families have received up to two hectares of arable land in the zone, which is the breadbasket of Eritrea, UNHCR said.

Returnees said their biggest problem was water, as the region had been affected one of the worst droughts in years. UNHCR said it was working with the Eritrean Relief and Refugee Commission to repair or expand water sources in the southwest, where up to 50,000 returnees are expected by the end of the year.