Ethiopia says Sudanese refugees number declining after CPA
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
April 26, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopia said today the figure of Sudanese refugees seeking to return home has seen an increase after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
However, the Ethiopian authorities said that it is receiving a higher Influx of Eritreans and Somalis and calls for more support from the international community.
Last week, a UNHCR delegation headed by the Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. T. Alexander has paid a visit in Ethiopia where they were briefed by Ethiopian foreign minister, seyoum Mesfin on the situation of refugees in Ethiopia mainly from Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan.
Mesfin said that deteriorating political and security conditions in the neighboring countries have increased movements of Eritrean and Somali asylum-seekers into Ethiopia.
On the other side, Seyoum said that the number Sudanese refugees’ residing in Ethiopian camps is steadily been declining particularly after South Sudan and the Khartoum governments signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2006, which also embraces relocating refugees to their homes.
There have been five Sudanese refugee camps in Ethiopia; starting from 2006 three of them were closed. The number of Sudanese refugees has downed to over 20,000 now from 90,000 in 2002.
UNHCR says it will continue to protect and assist the repatriation of 26,000 Sudanese remaining in Ethiopia. With insecure conditions in Southern Sudan affecting the repatriation movement, only some 1,000 of a planned 10,000 refugees returned to the country in 2009.
Conferring with the delegation, The Ethiopian foreign minister thanked the UNHCR for the support it has been providing for Ethiopia and called for a more strengthened support in the future.
The Deputy High Commissioner also thanked Ethiopia for its close collaboration with UNHCR and pledges a continued support to the country which currently hosts over 180,000 refugees.
According to 2010 UNHCR country operations profile ,Over the past five years, the budget for Ethiopia has increased steadily as UNHCR has protected and assisted a growing number of refugees. Additional requirements for Somali and Sudanese refugees were included in supplementary programmes.
The increased requirements for 2010 reflect needs identified during comprehensive assessments which called for improved access to health care, education, clean water and sanitation facilities. In addition, further camps are required to accommodate the increase in Somali and Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia.
(ST)