With major conflicts in Afghanistan and Somalia among those showing no signs of being resolved, the number of refugees voluntarily returning to their home countries last year plummeted to their lowest levels in two decades, according to a new United Nations report.
Only 251,000 refugees – out of a total of 15.2 million – repatriated in 2009, compared to an average of half a million annually for that past 10 years.
Two thirds of refugees come under the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with the rest falling under the responsibility of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
– Conflicts that had appeared to be ending or were on their way to being resolved, such as in southern Sudan or in Iraq, are stagnating, said High Commissioner António Guterres.
More than 5.5 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate, he said, are in a serious conflict situation.
