Refugees on border protest Iraq resettlement proposal

Iranian-Kurdish refugees stranded on the Jordan-Iraq border held a peaceful demonstration on Tuesday at which they urged UN refugee agency UNHCR to find a solution for their plight other than resettlement in the northern Iraqi governorate of Erbil. “We cannot live in peace and security in northern Iraq,” said Khabat Mohammadi, a spokesman for the group of 191 refugees. In January 2005, the group first arrived at the border, with most coming from the al-Tash refugee camp in Iraq's western Anbar governorate, which they fled following clashes between insurgents and US forces there. Lacking official permission to enter Jordan, the refugees remained on the Iraqi side of the frontier, an area prone to harsh weather conditions, especially in winter months. In an effort to resolve the issue, the group was eventually offered resettlement in the Kawa refugee camp, located in the northern Iraqi Erbil governorate. Kawa, the result of a September 2005 agreement between the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and UNHCR, began receiving refugees last November. “Currently, there are 1,300 Iranian refugees living in the settlement receiving appropriate assistance provided by UNHCR and the local authorities,” said Vandana Patel, UNHCR Iraq protection officer in Amman. The refugees at the border, however, many of whom have only recently fled violence in Iraq, have steadfastly rejected the offer. "We refuse the UNHCR proposal to move us to northern Iraq,” said Mohammadi. “About 65 of us came from there, and we all know it’s not a safe place.” According to Patel, resettlement in Kawa remains the “only option for the refugees”. He added: “KRG authorities have also assured us that that the refugees' security concerns regarding Erbil are not well founded.” Nevertheless, at Tuesday’s demonstration, leaders of the group gave Jordanian border officers a letter addressed to the Ministry of Interior, calling on Jordanian authorities to work with the UNCHR to find an acceptable solution. “We ask Jordan to tell UNHCR to do their job,” said Mohammadi. “We received promises from the interior ministry that they will talk to the UNHCR.” Meanwhile, refugees continue to request a meeting with recently-appointed UNHCR representatives in Jordan and Iraq to press their case. According to Patel, the UNHCR, for its part, is “making efforts to arrange for its staff from Iraq and KRG representatives to visit the refugees”. The demonstration was held after three weeks of deteriorating weather conditions at the border, where eight tents were recently swept away by dust storms, according to refugees. Four days ago, the UNHCR provided refugees with 12 new tents, said agency officials.