UNHCR - Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

11/05/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/05/2024 10:08

Central African refugees return home from Cameroon after a decade in exile

Following agreements between CAR and Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Congo, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has been supporting the CAR government by facilitating a voluntary repatriation programme to support refugees who wish to go back to areas that are deemed safe. Since 2017, more than 49,000 Central Africans have been assisted to return home including 12,000 so far this year from neighboring countries.

After five hours of traveling on a rough road, Halimatou's family reached Lolo, a small village in eastern Cameroon near the border, where they spent the night. The following morning, after receiving immigration clearance and health screening, they embarked on the final leg of their journey back home.

As the trucks crossed into CAR, villagers stood by the road waving branches to welcome their compatriots back home. Halimatou spent the following night in a transit centre in Berberati city before traveling to Makunji, her home village, where she reunited with her husband.

"I am happy to be in my homeland," says Halimatou. "I found it very beautiful and when we crossed [the border], my heart was calm."