AFRICA/SOMALIA - “We were politically persecuted in our homes,” say refugees from autonomous region of Somaliland in protesting Government declaration

Hargesia (Agenzia Fides) - The announcement by the government of Somalia's self-declared republic of Somaliland that there were no refugees in the region - only economic migrants from neighboring countries - has angered hundreds of refugees in the country. "We are political refugees, not economic migrants; we were politically persecuted in our homes," a representative of Ethiopian refugees said at a ceremony marking World Refugee Day on 20 June in Hargeisa, capital of Somaliland. According to the UNHCR, Somaliland has at least 1,600 recognized refugees, about 20,000 asylum-seekers and 67,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Of the refugees, most are Oromos and Amharas from neighboring Ethiopia, the remainder are Eritreans and several individuals come from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. At present, repatriation is not feasible for most of the refugees and the UNHCR is prioritizing resettlement and reintegration for most of the refugees in the country. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 06/07/2010)