Central African Republic:3,000 Refugees Return Home

The Central African Republic, CAR’s National Commission for Refugees, CNR, and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, in 2018 returned home 3,350 people who took refuge in neighbouring Congo Brazzaville Republic. Making the disclosure in the CAR capital, Bangui on June 14, 2018, Acting Secretary General, Stéphane Engombé-Ifona, said 2,800 other refugees in Cameroon had indicated their intention to return home.

Giving a report on the commission’s mid-year activities in Bangui, CNR officials said between 37 and 57 requests for asylum were received from 75 people. According to Engombé-Ifona, lack of logistics and funds was slowing down the return of more refugees from abroad. “You need to hire vehicles and pay mission allowances for the team to accompany the returning refugees,” he explained. The meeting on June 14, 2019, which coincided with the 36th anniversary of the National Commission for Refugees, also saw the handover of asylum certificates to 42 Rwandan nationals.

In December 2013, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes as violence spread in the Central African Republic after rebels overthrew the government of Gen. François Bozizé....