AFRICA/TUNISIA-There is "a modest acceleration in the paperwork to relocate the refugees accepted in Tunisia to other countries", says Don Mussie Zerai

Friday, 10 June 2011

Tunis (Agenzia Fides) - "The refugees were transferred from the camp where in recent days, some tents had been burned to another, on a hill near a Tunisian military detachment", says Don Mussie Zerai to Fides, Eritrean priest, President of the Habeshia Agency for the Development Cooperation, whose members assist the refugees who have fled from Libya who were welcomed in the camp of Chouca, about 25 km from the town of Ras Ajdir, Tunisia. Between 21 and 23 May accidents occurred between refugees of different nationalities and the local population in the camp. Several tents were set on fire while four people were killed (see Fides 26/5/2011).
" Something is moving also in terms of paperwork for their transfer to countries that have agreed to accept them. This also depends on how much personnel the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) will send to deal with the bureaucratic operations", says Don Mussie Zerai who seems, however, confident, also because " I was told that in the coming days, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees will visit the camp. Let's see if this visit will help to quicken the paperwork". After the repatriation of people who were not entitled to ask for political refugee status, refugees from different nationalities have remained in the camp: Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as some Sudanese from Darfur. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 06/10/2011)


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