Return of 2,400 Somali refugees leads to closing of third camp in Ethiopia
The voluntary return of more than 2,400 Somali refugees last week brings to more than 50,000 the number of voluntary repatriations last year and leads to the closing of a third refugee camp in Ethiopia.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Jan. 2 (UNHCR) - The repatriation of thousands of Somali refugees from Ethiopia has continued at a steady pace, reflecting a more stable situation in parts of the east African country and leading to the closing of three of eight refugee camps.
Two convoys last week repatriated 2,412 people from Ethiopia's Daror camp to north-west Somalia, bringing the total number of refugees who returned home in 2001 to 50,216. The latest returnees received a nine-month food ration, plastic sheeting and blankets to help them restart their lives.
The Daror complex, which includes health clinics, schools, water systems and generators, and which once hosted 50,000 refugees, will be handed over by UNHCR to the local community.
Earlier last year, Teferiber and Dawarnaji camps were also closed.
Another estimated 67,000 Somalis who fled following the outbreak of widespread civil war a decade ago remain in five other camps in Ethiopia. More than half are expected to return home by June, but some 30,000 others from southern Somalia cannot be repatriated because the security situation in that part of the country remains unstable.
Related news and stories
Thousands of newly arrived Somali refugees in Ethiopia relocated to new settlement
Samira's Story
Drought brings life-threatening food shortages for refugees in Ethiopia
100,000 new Somali refugees arrive in Ethiopia in the past month, UN and partners are calling for urgent funding
UNHCR teams and partners rush assistance to some 100,000 newly arrived Somali refugees in hard-to-reach area of Ethiopia
As the Horn of Africa drought enters a sixth failed rainy season, UNHCR calls for urgent assistance
-
Report a fraudulent site or cyber security issue
-
Durable solutions required for Syrian refugees in Jordan as Za'atari camp turns 10
29 Jul 2022 -
Jordan's Za'atari refugee camp: 10 facts at 10 years
29 Jul 2022 Opened on 28 July 2012 and still home to 80,000 people, Za'atari refugee camp has become a symbol of the long-running Syrian refugee crisis. -
Report of the eighty-fourth meeting of the Standing Committee (28-30 June 2022) EC/73/SC/CRP.18
29 Jul 2022 -
To support trafficking victims, UNHCR urges more protection services in Africa
29 Jul 2022 -
UNHCR highlights key concerns for refugee health amid record displacement
29 Jul 2022 Despite troubling rates of malnutrition, gains were noted in the inclusion of refugees in national health policies -
LA Lakers' Wenyen Gabriel visits homeland of South Sudan with UNHCR, to 'speak up for refugees and displaced people everywhere'
28 Jul 2022 -
2021 Annual Public Health Global Review
28 Jul 2022 UNHCR aims to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing of its persons of concern, enabling them to access safe, effective, equitable and affordable health care services. -
First UNITY Cup shows the power of football to connect refugees and hosts
26 Jul 2022 Tournament featuring teams of female and male refugee and amateur national players highlights the role of sport in empowering displaced people and connecting them to their new communities.