Yaounde begins repatriation of 4,000 CAR refugees ⁰

Some 4,000 Central African Republic (CAR), refugees in Cameroon on Wednesday began returning home in voluntary repatriation organised by Cameroon, CAR and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

According to Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, five hundred refugees signed up in the first phase of the programme, and the rest would return home by the end of 2019.

The refugees expressed hope they would find peace in their country after several years of atrocities that made them escape.

This repatriation followed a June tripartite agreement signed by Cameroon, CAR, and UNHCR for safe and dignified repatriation of 285,000 CAR refugees to their home country.

According to UNHCR, as of late September, about 290,000 CAR refugees live in Cameroon, representing about half of the total number of CAR refugees in neighbouring countries.CAR had been devastated by violence since 2013, when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted then-President Francois Bozize, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militias.

Source: Pmnews