The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) have begun the move for the formal repatriation of Nigerian refugees in Cameroon and Chad.
The governments of Chad and Nigeria, together with UNHCR and the UN refugee agency, signed the tripartite agreement to establish a structured framework for the eventual voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees currently hosted in Chad.
The agreement represents a key milestone in regional efforts to ensure durable solutions for refugees, reinforcing the commitment of the countries and UNHCR to uphold international protection principles and ensure that any future returns are voluntary, safe, and dignified
Speaking at a meeting of the technical working group for implementation of the refugees in his office on Wednesday, the federal commissioner of the Nigerian Refugee Commission, Tijjani Ahmed, said the discussions are now about how to ensure that “our Nigerian refugees return to this country with dignity.”
As it stands, there are over 4000 refugees across Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad. According to the commissioner, 3,000 people were returned last week through the efforts of the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum. He said the technical working group wants to take over from there because repatriation has already been signed between Nigeria and Chad.
Deputy representative, UNHCR, Nigeria Bernadette Muteshi said her organisation was ready to support Nigeria’s repatriation effort. “We are here to work along with both governments to ensure that the contents of the tripartite agreement are followed and adhered to, but honestly, it’s really about both governments taking leadership and ownership for their nationals in this particular exercise,” Muteshi stated.
The refugee commissioner expressed hope that with the progress so far, the repatriation will be done soon. “We hope that in the next few weeks, this repatriation will come to stay, and we will continue the exercise.”
