ReliefWeb

Nairobi, 22 February 2006 - An IGAD meeting was held in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the situation of displaced persons and seek ways of tackling it. The meeting was attended by delegates from Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.
In the meeting of field experts that took place from 14 to 19 February and later on at ministerial level from 20 to 21 February, discussions were conducted on the problems faced by internally displaced and repatriated persons as well as refugees.

The Eritrean Minister of Labor and Human Welfare, Ms. Askalu Menkerios, explained at the meeting that the main cause for displacement in Eritrea is Ethiopian colonization and invasions. She also gave briefings on the experiences that the people and Government of Eritrea had acquired in rehabilitating displaced citizens.

Some of the decisions and recommendations the meeting adopted include the drafting and legislating of laws that would help repatriated and internally displaced persons, the setting up of institutions that would improve the plight of the aforementioned people, involving the private sector in supporting displaced persons and strengthening the authority and tasks of IGAD in connection with refugees, repatriated and internally displaced nationals.