UN agency and British government begin scheme to resettle African refugees

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Kingdom Government have embarked on a resettlement programme that will enable some West Africans in need of special protection to reside in the European country.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Kingdom Government have embarked on a resettlement programme that will enable some West Africans in need of special protection to reside in Britain.

The first group is likely to include Liberians who fled to Sierra Leone during the 1989-90 civil war, according to UNHCR. A small number of refugees are expected to arrive in October, with the possibility of the number rising to 500 in 2004 if the pilot scheme proves a success.

UNHCR said resettlement has proved successful in providing protection to refugees where there is no alternative way to guarantee their legal or physical protection. It is intended to ease the burden shouldered by those countries bordering humanitarian crisis spots and is a durable solution for people facing a life of misery in refugee camps.

All the major political parties in the UK have welcomed the initiative as a helpful new element in the country’s asylum system and British immigration officers have travelled to Accra, Ghana, to begin interviewing possible candidates.