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The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, is protesting the forced repatriation of 40 Somali asylum seekers by the government of Djibouti. UNHCR says the move by the Djibouti government was in contravention of the 1951 Geneva Convention on the protection of refugees. Patrick Maigua sent this report from Geneva.
According UNHCR the 40 asylum seekers were part of a group of Somalis migrants rescued at sea by a Dutch naval ship in October. The group was allowed to disembark in Djibouti on November 4th and transferred to a hosting facility jointly run by the UNHCR and the Djibouti National Refugee Agency where they underwent medical treatment, were registered and assessed in terms of their needs for protection. UNHCR says the group of 40 who included six women and seven children were removed from the screening facility and put on a plane, which flew them back to Mogadishu. Ann Encontre is the UNHCR representative in Djibouti.
"Forty-three were rescued at sea and 40 were sent back. Three of them had asked to be voluntarily repatriated. All of this happened on Monday and Tuesday of this week. It was five in the morning but we didn't have any news or any report of force. They were taken in a bus and taken to the airport, but we were not present at that time. We have been informed since then that Djibouti is rather concerned about Al Shaabab infiltrators from Mogadishu and that is a preoccupation of theirs recently."
She says the repatriation of the asylum seekers back to Mogadishu was done without putting in place appropriate guarantees for their safety. UNHCR, says although this is the first time that the Djibouti government has forcibly repatriated Somali asylum seekers, the move has tarnished the country's reputation as a generous and welcoming host country for refugees and those in need of protection. Djibouti is home to over 11,900 Somali refugees.
Patrick Maigua UN Radio Geneva
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