BENIN-TOGO: Camps for Togolese refugees to close
Source: IRIN
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AGAME, 23 May 2007 (IRIN) - Camps in Benin housing Togolese refugees who fled election-related violence two years ago will close in June. "There is an agreement between
UNHCR and the governments of Togo and Benin to resettle refugees, and for good reason. Of the 25,000 Togolese that fled to Benin, only 4,700 remain there," said Francis Kpatinde, regional director for
UNHCR in Ghana. The UN children's agency, Medecins sans Frontiers, and the World Food Programme have all agreed to end their aid to the remaining refugees, UNHCR said. A botched father to son
succession in Togo in April 2005 prompted weeks of protests and security crackdowns. Between 400 and 500 people were killed in the violence, according to an inquiry by the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights. Last week, Togolese Minister for Human Rights and Democracy Célestine Akouavi Aidam, members of the Togolese opposition, civil society, and two former refugees visited remaining
refugees at Agome in Benin to encourage them to return. sa/ur/nr
