The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been expanding its presence in Iraq to prepare for the return of an anticipated 500,000 refugees, including more than 204,000 currently in Iran, as well as 1 million internally displaced persons and more than 110,000 refugees from other countries inside Iraq. Excited relatives broke into "scenes of joy" as buses carrying 240 refugees arrived in the southern city of Basra on 30 July. The refugees were returning after having spent the last 12 years in exile in camps in the Saudi Arabian desert.
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| Iraqi returnees dancing with their families in Um Qasr, southern Iraq. Photo/UNHCR Basra | The convoy, under the supervision of UNHCR, was the first United Nations-assisted return of Iraqi refugees following the conflict, and though the journey that began in the Rafha refugee camp marked the start of voluntary repatriation, the agency stressed that Iraq is not yet ready for the mass return of hundreds of thousands of exiles.
"UNHCR is glad to see the first group of Iraqi refugees going home, but returns must be kept small and manageable for some time to come", its Deputy High Commissioner, Kamel Morjane, said. "Due to security problems and the still fragile humanitarian and economic situation inside Iraq, we're only aiding those refugees who want to go back."
Describing the scene in Basra, one UNHCR emergency team leader said: "I had misgivings in the beginning about this return, but when I saw the mothers greeting their sons, the scenes of joy, it was very emotional and very moving."
The pace of refugee repatriation to Iraq and of displaced persons within Iraq will be determined by a number of factors, such as physical and social security within the country, access to shelter and restitution of property, and restoration of basic services and means of livelihood. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said that particular attention will be needed to resolving disputed property claims in this process and to ensuring that return movements do not lead to secondary displacement of populations within the country. "These concerns argue for a carefully phased and gradual approach to returns, in general, to avoid further displacement and reduce the potential for conflict", he said in a report to the Security Council in July.
Primary responsibility for establishing conditions conducive to the return of refugees, especially with regard to security, border processing and the provision of basic services, rests with the Coalition Provisional Authority. UNHCR is working closely with the Authority to determine when the essential elements for return of refugees are in place and to establish sustainable returns to Iraq.
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