Burundi Refugee

The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the attack that took place on Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi on August 13, 2004.  Armed elements, including the  National Liberation Front of the Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People, participated in this vicious attack on an already vulnerable population of refugees, many of them women and children.  We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and to the Congolese government and people. ... [Read More]

Proposed Refugee Admissions for FY 2005 -- Report to the Congress

In the 1960s and 1970s, many African countries accepted significant numbers of refugees and provided them land to cultivate. In the years since, however, large refugee outflows combined with increased pressure on land in most African countries have resulted in African refugees’ increasing confinement to refugee camps or settlements. Where some refugees had achieved de facto integration, such as in the Ivory Coast,xenophobic attacks on foreigners have recently highlighted the fragility of such informal arrangements. Few African countries have offered formal, permanent integration of refugees, although there are some exceptions. Guinea is reportedly ready to offer local integration to some Liberians who are not willing or able to return. South Africa has allowed the permanent integration of a significant number of refugees, mostly from Mozambique. While the governments of Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya have expressed an interest in providing refugees with citizenship and local integration ... [Read More]

Rice, Jolie Mark World Refugee Day in Washington Ceremony - US Department of State

Rice said the United States has a “deep and abiding” commitment to the protection and assistance of refugees. “Communities across our country have opened their doors and their hearts to refugees helping them to begin new lives in safety and in freedom,” she said. ...

In recognition of World Refugee Day, Rice said the United States renews its pledge “to keep the hope of the world’s refugees alive.” ...

Rice, Jolie Mark World Refugee Day in Washington CeremonyEvent draws attention to needs of 17 million refugees worldwide ... [Read More]

FY 2004 Refugee Admissions Program

One of my colleagues at USCR is returning today to the U.S. from a site visit in Nepal. We issued a press statement about that site visit where we reaffirmed our strong support for repatriation to Nepal, and -- I mean to Bhutan, and called upon the Bhutanese Government to reverse the mistakes that had been in the verification process.We emphasized, as was previously said, most refugees do want to go home. The Bhutanese want to go home, and we support their ability to do so. But current events have shown us that the Bhutanese Government has no real aim to bring home those refugees. Therefore, we promote the broader, durable solutions for these refugees, including resettlement if it's appropriate. I met, this morning, with someone from the Center for Victims of Torture who provide services to women in those camps who've suffered rape. There was a major report about this last year. Those, for example, rape victims and other women at risk, could be among t ... [Read More]

Involuntary Repatriation of Rwandan Refugees

We call on the Governments of Rwanda and Burundi to halt immediately their efforts to forcibly return asylum seekers and to uphold their commitments under international law regarding the basic right to seek asylum and protection in neighboring states. Rwandan asylum seekers still in Burundi should be moved from the border to secure locations within Burundi where the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), together with the Burundian government, can conduct individual status determinations. No asylum seeker in either country who can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution should be returned against his or her will. We also call on the Governments of Rwanda and Burundi to provide UNHCR and its partner organizations with access to refugees and returnees in both countries so that protection and assistance may be provided to those in need. ... [Read More]

$10 Million Toward Refugee Emergency in Congo

The United States Government will provide emergency funding of $10 million for assistance to refugees and conflict victims, allocated as follows:$3.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for Congolese refugees in neighboring states and refugee populations within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. $2.5 million to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund for the procurement and distribution of essential pharmaceuticals in Congo. $2.0 million to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to ensure field coordination and to fund quick impact projects in Congo. $1.5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross for emergency assistance programs to internally displaced persons. $500,000 to the United Nations Security Coordinator for the deployment of field security advisors to help ensure safe working conditions for United Nations and Non-Governmental relief workers ... [Read More]

V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G

Armenia is a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation largely to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Turkey. Some evidence indicates that Armenian victims were trafficked to other European countries as well. According to UN estimates, up to 1,000 Armenian women work as prostitutes in the U.A.E. and Turkey, most of whom are victims of trafficking. The Government of Armenia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Armenia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List this year because of its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking over the past year. Specifically, the government failed to disseminate or implement any elements of its January 2004 National Action Plan. The government sho ... [Read More]

Proposed Refugee Admissions for FY 2003 -- Report to the Congress

Each year, the U.S. refugee admissions program offers freedom and safety to tens of thousands of refugees. FY 2002, however, has been the most challenging year since the founding of the current U.S. refugee admissions program. We anticipate arrivals of fewer than 30,000 refugees by the end of the fiscal year -- fewer than half the authorized ceiling for the year. In the aftermath of September 11 and with the onset of the Global War on Terrorism, we have implemented enhanced security measures that considerably lengthened refugee processing time and significantly interrupted admissions. There were problems in implementing new background check requirements on refugees and other migrants by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Concerns regarding security for U.S. government personnel in the months following September 11 resulted in a several month hiatus in Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) interviews worldwide and suspension of processing in some locations altogether. For ... [Read More]