Repatriation possible as thousands of refugees registered

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Eritrean government are carrying out their first-ever joint registration of around 4,000 refugees, some of whom have been in the country for up to 10 years. UNHCR spokeswoman Wendy Rappeport told IRIN they had been discussing the joint registration for some time and it was now the "opportune time" to do it. "This is part of our mandate, to better tailor needs and create durable solutions," she said on Monday. She added that the exercise was effectively a re-registration, as refugees were registered when they first arrived in the country but since then families had grown and circumstances had changed. The first exercise was carried out on Friday by staff from Eritrea's Office of Refugee Affairs and UNHCR at Emkulu camp near the coastal city of Massawa. The camp hosts an estimated 3,315 Somali refugees - a figure which will be verified by the registration. Rappeport said the refugees were moved away from their original camp at Harsile, near Assab, three to four years ago during the hostilities with Ethiopia. Some of them had arrived on foot from southern Somalia, fleeing conflict at home. Others came in trucks via Djibouti. UNHCR and the Eritrean government will use the new data to better tailor assistance and protection to the refugees' needs. The agency will also take a closer look at options for voluntary repatriation to certain areas of Somalia that are deemed safe for return. After Emkulu, registration will continue in western Eritrea's Elit camp for Sudanese refugees, and for urban refugees in the capital, Asmara. The entire exercise is expected to be completed by the end of 2003. Rappeport said repatriation for some refugees may be possible, given developments in the Sudan peace process.