Refugees face forced return

In the past few months, a number of Iraqi refugees have been forcibly returned to Iraq by the countries in which they had sought refuge. This growing trend reflects the opinion that Iraq has stabilized enough to allow for the return of the millions of refugees that have fled the war and its vestiges. Yet in today’s Iraq there are still millions of internally displaced persons and there has been little development in the civilian infrastructure that was destroyed during the war. Although parts of Iraq, such as Iraqi Kurdistan are relatively safe, for many, returning home now would be a major risk.  As Antonio Guterres, The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees explains, “the situation in Baghdad is such that to sent back Iraqis at the present moment against their will is indeed a danger and should not be done.”

Iraqi refugees ‘should go home voluntarily’ -BBC NEWS