High Commissioner in Africa

High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers yesterday began a nine-day, four-nation mission to eastern and central Africa. He is expected to visit refugee camps and meet with high-ranking government officials in Burundi, Tanzania, Sudan and Eritrea. Today (Friday) the High Commissioner is in Bujumbura where he is meeting with Burundi President Domitien Ndayizeye. His also scheduled to meet with other government officials and representatives of the international community. On Saturday, the High Commissioner will travel to Tanzania, which hosts one of Africa's largest refugee populations. He will start the Tanzania leg of his trip with a visit to the Kigoma refugee camp in western Tanzania, which hosts Burundi refugees. On Monday, the High Commissioner is scheduled to meet in Dar-es-Salaam with Tanzania's President Benjamin W. Mkapa. In Sudan, he will visit a camp for internally displaced people, a refugee camp and a transit centre for Eritrean refugees about to return home. Next Thursday, the High Commissioner will travel by road from Sudan to Tesseney, Eritrea. On Friday, November 14, the High Commissioner will meet with Eritrea's President Isaias Afewerki, before returning to Geneva the following day.