UNHCR mulls solutions for refugees affected by xenophobia

News Stories, 26 May 2015

© UNHCR/P.Rulashe
A mother feeds her child in a family tent. They were displaced by xenophobic violence in Durban.

DURBAN, South Africa, May 26 (UNHCR) Approximately 1,000 Burundian and Congolese refugees who sought new lives in South Africa are turning to the UN refugee agency for help, after xenophobic violence forced them to flee their homes last month.

According to reports, more than 1,200 of the 5,400 people who took refuge in the three shelters of Phoenix, Isipingo and Chatsworth in this port city have been successfully reintegrated into the communities from which they fled. More than 2,000 have voluntarily repatriated to Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. However, many remain displaced and they favour resettlement.

"UNHCR's position is very clear," says the agency's deputy regional representative, Veronica Modey-Ebi. "While refugees are still displaced and living in a temporary shelter, it is imperative that every effort be made to assist them with safe and dignified reintegration in the immediate term, so that they are able to resume their lives and livelihood activities as soon as possible. Once this happens, only then can we look into longer term durable solutions such as resettlement which is an option available to very, very few refugees."

Resettlement to a third country such as the United States, Canada or Australia is a lengthy process that can take up to three years to finalize. However, many of the displaced, like David Rubango,* who fled persecution in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) several years ago, say they cannot continue living in South Africa.

"This will be the second time that I have come under attack as a result of xenophobic violence," David says, pointing to a jagged scar on his chest. "I got this scar during the xenophobic violence of 2008. This time, I fled before I could fall victim to the violence again. I cannot keep on being a victim in a country in which I have sought protection."

For Shukuran Kashini, who is also from the DRC, a new job as a cook at a hotel fell through when the violence left her fearing for her life while travelling home at night. Her husband, who had been working as an electrician in another province, was forced to rush home to look after his family.

"He has since lost his job because he took time off work to make sure that his family was safe," says Shukuran. "We have now become destitute." She and

David are among hundreds who believe that the only solution for them is to leave the country and seek protection elsewhere.

"The frustration and fear felt by refugees is understandable," says UNHCR's Modey-Ebi. "However, blanket resettlement is not the solution for everyone. UNHCR has been approached by some who have expressed interest in voluntary repatriation and others favour local reintegration."

UNHCR has finalized the details of a three-tiered refugee reintegration package for an estimated 3,000 people. The package includes rental subsidy for two months, food vouchers for the same period of time and a one-off provision of basic non-food items.

Eighty per cent of the family packages will be provided to facilitate reintegration for refugees and asylum-seekers, while the remaining 20 per cent will assist indigent migrants and host community members.

"This will also go a long way in enabling the reintegration of refugees and asylum-seekers back into their former or new communities," says Modey-Ebi.

Meanwhile, the KwaZulu Natal government and eThekwini Metro task team are holding intensive talks with community leaders on the importance of peaceful co-existence with all foreign nationals.

"This is very important, as it gives us the assurance that every effort is being made to smooth the way for reintegration, which is the solution for the vast majority of displaced refugees at this juncture," explains Modey-Ebi.

As a result of this exercise, many foreign nationals have been welcomed back to their former communities and several have re-opened their businesses.

In addition, the South African government aims to introduce educational activities in schools and other centres to promote a better understanding of refugees, asylum-seekers and other foreign nationals.

"UNHCR's support to this national education drive includes the contribution of thousands of educational materials and literature, not only in KwaZulu Natal, but in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo provinces," says Modey-Ebi.

"It is a huge undertaking, but we are prepared to go the extra mile to ensure that we support efforts to counter xenophobia on a continuous basis and, in doing so, create an environment conducive to long term local integration, which is the solution for most refugees in the country, including those displaced during the recent xenophobic violence."

* Name changed for protection reasons

By Pumla Rulashe in Durban, South Africa

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UNHCR/Partners Bring Aid to North Kivu

As a massive food distribution gets underway in six UNHCR-run camps for tens of thousands of internally displaced Congolese in North Kivu, the UN refugee agency continues to hand out desperately needed shelter and household items.

A four-truck UNHCR convoy carrying 33 tonnes of various aid items, including plastic sheeting, blankets, kitchen sets and jerry cans crossed Wednesday from Rwanda into Goma, the capital of the conflict-hit province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The aid, from regional emergency stockpiles in Tanzania, was scheduled for immediate distribution. The supplies arrived in Goma as the World Food Programme (WFP), with assistance from UNHCR, began distributing food to some 135,000 displaced people in the six camps run by the refugee agency near Goma.

More than 250,000 people have been displaced since the fighting resumed in August in North Kivu. Estimates are that there are now more than 1.3 million displaced people in this province alone.

Posted on 6 November 2008

UNHCR/Partners Bring Aid to North Kivu

UNHCR/Partners Bring Aid to North Kivu

Since 2006, renewed conflict and general insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo's North Kivu province has forced some 400,000 people to flee their homes – the country's worst displacement crisis since the formal end of the civil war in 2003. In total, there are now some 800,000 people displaced in the province, including those uprooted by previous conflicts.

Hope for the future was raised in January 2008 when the DRC government and rival armed factions signed a peace accord. But the situation remains tense in North Kivu and tens of thousands of people still need help. UNHCR has opened sites for internally displaced people (IDPs) and distributed assistance such as blankets, plastic sheets, soap, jerry cans, firewood and other items to the four camps in the region. Relief items have also been delivered to some of the makeshift sites that have sprung up.

UNHCR staff have been engaged in protection monitoring to identify human rights abuses and other problems faced by IDPs and other populations at risk across North Kivu.

UNHCR's ninemillion campaign aims to provide a healthy and safe learning environment for nine million refugee children by 2010.

Posted on 28 May 2008

UNHCR/Partners Bring Aid to North Kivu

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Burundian humanitarian worker Maggy Barankitse received the 2005 Nansen Refugee Award for her tireless work on behalf of children affected by war, poverty and disease. The Nansen medal was presented at a grand ceremony in Brussels by H.R.H. Princess Mathilde of Belgium and UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Wendy Chamberlin.

Accepting the award, Barankitse said her work was inspired by one single goal: peace. "Accept your fellow man, sit down together, make this world a world of brothers and sisters," she said. "Nothing resists love, that's the message that I want to spread."

Sponsored by UNHCR corporate partner Microsoft, the ceremony and reception at Concert Noble was also attended by Belgium's Minister for Development Co-operation Armand De Decker, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel, renowned Burundian singer Khadja Nin, Congolese refugee and comedian Pie Tshibanda, and French singer and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Julien Clerc. Among others.

The Nansen Refugee Award 2005

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