UNHCR concludes the verification exercise in Umkulu refugee camp in Eritrea

ASMARA, 4 November 2016 (UNHCR) –  UNHCR in collaboration with the Government’s Office of Refugee Affairs (ORA) completed a 10 days Verification Exercise in the Somali refugees’ camp, Umkulu, located near the port city of Massawa. The exercise aimed to update the numbers of Somali refugees in the country, and to assess their needs.

A total 2,234 refugees were verified and the biometric information of 1,760 individuals aged 5 years and above were collected. 440 children below the age of 5 were not registered as their fingerprints cannot be captured. 59 new households were created, made up of older youth who had left their parents’ homes to get married or establish their own homes.

UNHCR’s new Biometric Identity Management System (BIMS) was used, wherein each refugee’s fingerprints and iris scan is collected and securely stored in an online database, retrievable from anywhere in the world.

The profiling of the refugees will enable UNHCR to improve targeted protection, solutions and assistance provision for Somali refugees in Eritrea.

For more information, please contact: Monica Modici, modici@unhcr.org