UNHCR thanks speedy response to refugee crisis in Cape Town

By Ilhaam Hoosain
30 May 2008

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees thanked Cape Town for its speedy assistance to foreign nationals displaced by xenophobic violence.

Yusuf Hassan of the UNHCR Regional Office for Southern Africa in Pretoria elaborates on the comments made by Arvind Gupta of UNHCR during his visit to Cape Town.
"Mr Gupta never made comments pertaining to the situation of the displaced people in Cape Town to the Cape Times.

"If anything, the statements he made during meetings with the authorities, representatives of the civil society and refugees, had been complimentary of the commendable efforts undertaken by the City of Cape Town, both in the rapid assistance they provided and in their handling of the crisis.

He goes onto add that Gupta also highlighted the UNHCR's position on camps. He says that in principle, in the South African context, the UNHCR is opposed to the placing or confining of displaced persons, including refugees, in camps or sites. The UNHCR's position is in line with the Government of South Africa's policy on local integration.

The recent xenophobic attacks in which thousands of refugees and other migrants were forcibly displaced have presented new challenges and call for urgent responses, this is according to Hassan.

"The UNHCR is of the view that, given the prevailing circumstances, should the authorities and the disaster management bodies consider it unavoidable to accommodate the displaced in camp-like settings, it could only take note of this course of action.

However, it is imperative that such sites meet accepted international standards. The UNHCR stands ready to assist the authorities in attaining the latter. "We would like once again to thank the City of Cape Town for its speedy response to the displacement crisis."