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Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - Web posted at 9:41:12 pm GMT

THE Osire Refugee Camp near Okakarara will not be closed following the signing of a formal ceasefire in Luanda earlier this month to end the 27-year-old war in Angola, according to a Government official.

Osire houses about 22 000 refugees of whom more than 90 per cent are from Angola.

Mikka Asino, the Ministry of Home Affairs' public relations officer, told The Namibian, that no refugees have returned to their home country yet.

"If any have left, it is without our knowledge," Asino said.
He added that it was up to the refugees to decide to go home. "We cannot force them to leave. They must volunteer to go, but hopefully they would be willing to return."

Asino said there are no plans to close the camp as there are refugees from other countries including Burundi, Uganda and Liberia.

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