Colombians Who Fled To Ecuador Start Returning Home, UN Refugee Agency Reports
 
Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 12:00:47 -0400

COLOMBIANS WHO FLED TO ECUADOR START RETURNING HOME, UN REFUGEE AGENCY REPORTS
 
New York, Aug 31 2007 12:00PM
Nearly 1,600 Colombians who fled to Ecuador over the past week after 
an outbreak of violence have started returning home although 
the situation remains tense throughout the area, the United Nations 

So far, only 27 asylum requests have been received by the UN High 
Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/46d7f5c32.html">UNHCR) 
and the Ecuadorian Government's Office for Refugees. 

“The rest of the group opted to return to Colombia,” UNHCR spokesperson 
Jennifer Pagonis told a news briefing in Geneva today. “The 
group’s leaders negotiated their return with Colombian authorities, 

Meanwhile, the situation remains volatile throughout the southern 
Colombian department of Nariño, Ms. Pagonis said. More than 250 
persons were displaced in the town of Samaniego late Wednesday due 
to clashes between irregular armed groups. “These groups are also 
using landmines, posing a high risk for civilians,” she added. 

More than 40 years of fighting throughout Colombia between the Government, 
leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and criminal 

UNHCR coordinated the distribution of humanitarian aid to the latest 
group while they were in the Ecuadorian towns of San Lorenzo 
 2007-08-31 00:00:00.000 


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