Refugees Daily - Internal Global Press Review

APA Brazzaville (Congo) The government of the Congo, in partnership with the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has initiated a 300-million CFA emergency plan to accommodate and reintegrate some 9.000 Congolese refugees living in Gabon, an official source told APA here on Saturday.

"Congolese Minister for Family and Social Affairs, Mrs. Emilienne Raoul announced this joint emergency plan on Friday, at a Cabinet meeting," the same source said.

On that occasion, Mrs. Raoul said: "Considering the clause of the cessation of the refugee status for Congolese nationals living in Gabon, which will be effective on 31 July 2011, the government of Congo and UNHCR developed a plan to accommodate and reintegrate these refugees returning from Gabon''.

She added that "300 million CFA francs will be earmarked for the implementation of the repatriation/reinsertion operation."

9.000 Congolese nationals have been living in exile since the Congolese civil wars broke out in the 1990s.

However, according to well-informed sources, many of those refugees are reluctant to go back home, despite the restoration of peace and stability in the country.

In addition, many of them also want to keep their refugee status and urge the UNHCR to find other host countries in Africa or elsewhere in the world.