We are very concerned about reports we are receiving concerning the tense and fragile security situation in the areas affected by the recent violence in Rakhine State. Even though the situation appears calm, we are still getting reports of violence and new displacements. In the days ahead, anyone...

A new UNHCR population assessment of the Afgooye corridor west of the Somali capital Mogadishu has found a significant reduction in the number of displaced people living there. From data collated in May we estimate that up to 120,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) may still be living along t...

It was with sadness that UNHCR learned yesterday of the drownings of some 47 Ethiopians in a boat capsizing incident on Lake Malawi. The exact number of deaths has not been determined. According to the reports we received, villagers around the lake found a dead body on Monday and buried it. On Tues...

UNHCR welcomes a decision by the Dominican Republic to reactivate its refugee eligibility commission that reviews asylum applications. Known as the CONARE - Comision Nacional para Refugiados - the commission held its first meeting since 2005 on June 13, reviewing some 19 asylum cases. This breakthro...

Embargo: 11:30 AM CET, 18 SEPTEMBER, 2012 Somalia’s Hawa Aden Mohamed wins the 2012 Nansen Refugee Award GENEVA, 18 September, 2012 – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today in Geneva that this year’s Nansen Refugee Award goes to Hawa Aden Mohamed, the founder an...

Like two other refugee locations in Djibouti, Holl-Holl was an old camp that was closed in the mid-2000s, as a consequence of massive repatriations to Ethiopia and to the breakaway territory of Somaliland where the security situation has relatively improved during the last decade. Over the last 6 y...

HITSATS, Ethiopia, June 13 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency has opened a new camp in northern Ethiopia to house the increasing number of Eritrean refugees entering the country. A total 776 Eritrean refugees have already been transferred to Hitsats Camp, which can house up to 20,000 refugees. "This...

There was such overwhelming interest in our Global Hack for Good on World Refugee Day – we could not accommodate all that wanted to participate! So we are announcing the old fashioned way – on Facebook and Twitter! First, the challenge: The number of forcibly displaced people around the worl...

UNHCR’s partner AHADA are busy installing 310 solar powered street lights thanks to funding from the IKEA Foundation and ECHO. CEO of the IKEA Foundation, Mr Per Heggenes checked out the lights on a recent visit to the camp. The lights are already reportedly creating a greater sense of safety and co...

A comprehensive return intention survey for Somali refugees began in Dadaab on 17 February 2014. The objective of the survey is to accurately understand the needs and concerns of Somali refugees in relation to voluntary repatriation. More than 7,000 refugees living in the five camps that make up ...