May 25 10
Internal Displacement at Record High in 2009
According to the report Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2009 by NRC’s Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, the number of IDPs continued to rise last year, predominantly due to longrunning internal conflicts. “The massive population movements and shocking violence are a sad reminder of the price that civilians pay in armed conflict,” said Elisabeth Rasmusson. “Millions of people were newly displaced by conflicts in which combatants did not meet their obligations to protect civilians.” 6.8 million people were newly displaced in 2009, many more than in previous years, the report shows. While there were no new conflicts, the…
Apr 22 10
UNHCR welcomes Pakistan’s decision to extend stay of Afghan refugees
Former journalist Rehman Faizai now sells traditional Afghan cloths at a market in Islamabad. He welcomed Pakistan’s decision to let registered refugees stay longer. GENEVA, March 25 (UNHCR)– The UN refugee agency on Thursday welcomed the Pakistani government’s decision to allow 1.7 million registered Afghans to remain in the country for three more years, alongside continued voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan. The Pakistan cabinet on Wednesday endorsed a new Strategy for the Management of Afghans in Pakistan, which includes extending the validity of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards until the end of 2012. The cards, which are issued to registered Afghan refugees,…
Apr 21 10
Refugees fear for their kids
Western Cape authorities have threatened to remove the children of refugees who fled xenophobic violence two years ago. “I’d rather die drowning with my children in the ocean than give them away,” said Amelia Nikwakwira, one of dozens of refugees evicted from the Blue Waters refugee camp in Cape Town. The camp was set up for victims of xenophobic violence but the city recently won a court order that they be evicted from it. Though many refugees were reintegrated into their communities, about 200 people, including the Nikwakwiras, moved to a nearby area of grass on the beach. Cape Town…
Apr 19 10
Tanzania grants citizenship to 162 000 Burundian refugees
UN High Commissioner for Refugee, António Guterres, praise the Tanzanian government for its “unprecedented generosity and courageous decision”. Burundian women at Katumba settlement cheer after hearing that they will become Tanzanian citizens. UNHCR/E.Wolfcarius KATUMBA, Tanzania, April 15 – UN High Commissioner for Refugee António Guterres has lauded Tanzania’s landmark decision to grant citizenship to tens of thousands of Burundian refugees who fled to Tanzania in 1972. During a visit by Guterres on Thursday to the Katumba ward in the south-west of the country, Tanzania’s Home Affairs Minister Lawrence Masha told a gathering of so-called “1972 Burundian refugees” that the government…
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