More Iraqis return to the south

Sixty-two Iraqi refugees arrived in the southern city of Basra last week following the resumption of the office for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) voluntary repatriation programme for such refugees in Iran. All returns had been halted on 12 August at the request of Iraqi authorities because of the security situation, according to UNHCR. Although the number of returnees is smaller than before, many people continue to register in Iran to go home, an aid worker told IRIN. UNHCR also organises convoys for non-camp Iraqi refugees in Iran, many of whom have been asking for assistance to repatriate for several months. Iran was home to some 220,000 Iraqis, but around 100,000 have already returned, according to UNHCR. Most of them were living in western areas of the country bordering Iraq. The Ashrafi camp in southwestern Iran was home to the largest community of Iraqi refugees, but was closed after the last of them left in February 2004. Previously, some 48,000 had been sheltered in 22 camps overseen by the Iranian government. Hussein El-Seidi of the Ministry of Immigration in Basra told IRIN that both his ministry and UNHCR were not encouraging Iraqi refugees to repatriate at present, and would only assist those who were desperate. "Iraq is not yet ready to absorb large numbers of returnees. But we do provide assistance to refugees in neighbouring countries who insist on returning despite the difficult conditions in Iraq. We don't prevent any Iraqi from returning home but we don't encourage them to come now because of the current security and economic situation. There's no work for these people," El-Seidi said. Most Iraqis fled during the 1970s and 80s in fear of persecution and again during the Gulf War in 1991. According to El-Seidi, many of those who went to Iran were young people who didn't finish their education or left their work. "We help them to solve their legal problems using the new office established by an international NGO so that they can get recognised as Iraqi citizens again. But the main problem we face now is housing," the Iraqi official explained. Although an international NGO helped build some shelter for the returnees and a local NGO helped more than 1,000 homeless returnees, El-Seidi said that the majority of those returning cannot find places to live as their homes were destroyed by the former regime. "We have plans to build housing units for the returnees and we have allocated the places but we are waiting for the donors to offer funding for these projects," El-Seidi said. A temporary halt in issuing identity cards in the run up to the election has put some refugees in a difficult situation. "Right now no identity cards are being issued at the Ministry of Interior. They are waiting for the election to see what they can do about that," Amjad Raysan, a lawyer at the legal office, told IRIN. Salem Abu Dawod is a returnee who lost his Iraqi identity card years ago. He is now married to an Iranian woman who does not speak Arabic. As his marriage contract is in the Farsi language it was difficult to register him and his wife. "It is difficult to find an identity card for him at the nationality and ID directory in Basra. Most of these government buildings were looted and destroyed during the latest war," Raysan said. The Italian NGO INTERSOS has set up the office for legal protection which helps with registration at the Ministry of Interior and ensures that children receive education. Raysan explained that the office also issued ration cards to returnees which entitled them to a monthly food ration under the Public Distribution System (PDS). The office works closely with various ministries to help Iraqis integrate into their community after being away for so long. UNHCR had only recently started facilitating returns through the Haj Omran crossing in northern Iran at the end of June to make it easier for those returning to the north, rather than having to travel through the south first. Around 14,000 Iraqis have repatriated with help from UNHCR from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon since last year, 9,000 of them from Iran.