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Newszine 47 June 2004 |
UNHCR objects to forced returns
to southern Somalia
Following press reports on the forced return of failed Somali asylum
seekers from the UK, UNHCR has reiterated its position that involuntary
return of rejected asylum seekers should not take place to southern
Somalia, which includes the capital, Mogadishu. Furthermore, no Somali
should be involuntarily returned to an area of the country from which
he or she does not originate.
In general UNHCR has no objection to countries sending failed asylum
seekers back home in a humane manner, with full respect for human
rights and dignity. However in relatively rare cases - current examples
include Iraq and parts of Afghanistan - UNHCR believes the situation
is simply too unstable or potentially dangerous. In such cases UNHCR,
along with other aid agencies are often unable to actually monitor
returns properly, and have incomplete information about the risks
to individuals, which means people are being sent back into something
of a black hole.
Few agencies have a permanent international presence in southern Somalia
and all UN flights in southern Somalia were recently suspended, because
of the security risks. There have been reports of a sharp deterioration
in the general security situation in Mogadishu over the past few months,
marked by heavy fighting and serious human rights violations.
Ends
Source for this message:
UNHCR in the UK Wednesday 16th June 2004
http://www.unhcr.org.uk/press/press_releases2004/pr16Jun04.htm
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