Some 257 Mauritanian refugees arrived Thursday in Rosso, southern Mauritania, after 19 years in exile in Senegal, an official source told panapress here. The refugees were welcomed by the National Identification Commission, the local administrative authorities, representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP) and several non governmental organisations (NGOs). Their voluntary return was made possible by a tripartite accord signed on 12 November 2007 by the governments of Mauritania and Senegal as well as the UNHCR. The Mauritanian refugees in Senegal and Mali escaped from their country in April 1989, in the aftermath of the ethnic clashes in their country. There are more than 20,000 Mauritanian refugees in Senegal, and officials said their return would be spread over 18 months. In January, the first batch of 100 Mauritanian refugees returned home from Senegal. Panapress.
