More on Cessation

Further to this post which reported on a campaign launched by the Fahamu Refugee Programme to advocate against the withdrawal of international protection for Rwandan refugees, UNHCR announced at EXCOM that it will recommend that States invoke the cessation clause for Rwandan refugees by 31 December 2011, to be effective by 30 June 2012. In addition, UNHCR and the Government of Rwanda plan to take steps to "achieve increased voluntary repatriation and find greater opportunities for local integration or alternative legal status for refugees in countries of asylum."

For some additional thoughts on this issue, see the latest Fahamu Refugee Legal Newsletter which includes a special focus on why invoking the cessation clause for Rwandans is problematic, as well as the following:

Cease and Desist in Rwanda? (The Mantle, Oct. 2011) [part 1] [part 2]

NGO Statement on International Protection, 62nd Meeting of EXCOM, Geneva, 3-7 October 2011 [text via ReliefWeb]

- See para. 1(d).

UNHCR Urged to Review Decision to Withdraw Refugee Status from Rwandan Refugees (Reporters without Borders, Oct. 2011) [text]

With regard to another group slated for possible cessation, see the following recently published report:

Resisting Repatriation: Burundian Refugees Struggling to Stay in Tanzania (International Refugee Rights Initiative, Oct. 2011) [text via ReliefWeb]

Tagged Publications.