Abidjan – Most refugees from Ivory Coast now living in neighbouring countries will lose their protected status next year, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday.
The governments of Ivory Coast and the countries hosting large numbers of Ivoirian refugees on Tuesday signed a joint declaration leading to cessation of refugee status next July, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.
The agreement came after a two-day regional meeting held in Abidjan which also stressed the need to intensify voluntary repatriation and support alternative legal status for those who opt to remain in their countries of asylum.
“Based on an in-depth analysis of the situation in Cote d’Ivoire, UNHCR believes that the circumstances in which many Ivorians fled their country as refugees have ceased to exist and that many are no longer in need of international protection”, said Raouf Mazou the UN refugee agency’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations who signed the joint declaration.
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According to the UN, 60% of Ivorian refugees surveyed wish to repatriate, while 30%Refugees of Ivorian refugees and asylum seekers in West and Central Africa say they are undecided.
The other 10 percent want to stay in their host country.
The country was plunged into deadly violence after Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat in the 2010 presidential election.
The ensuing conflict claimed more than 3 000 lives and more than 200 000 people fled the country.
After he was ousted, Gbagbo was flown to The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity, of which he was eventually acquitted.
In June, Gbagbo returned to the country from exile in Europe and the following month Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara offered his predecessor a hearty welcome back.
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Since 2011, 287 000 Ivorian refugees have returned home, most of them from neighbouring countries.
However an estimated 51 000 still live in the region, mainly in Ghana, Liberia, Guinea, Mali , Mauritania and Togo.
Their return is a major plank of Ivory Coast’s national reconciliation process.
“Those who still consider themselves at risk in case of return may request an exemption procedure to remain under UNHCR protection,” the UN agency said.
More than 10 000 people have fled Ivory Coast following violence linked to Ouattara winning a controversial third term in office.
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Source: AFP
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