William Spindler is a spokesman for the UNHCR.From Geneva, he spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua.
"We want to emphasize on this World Refugee Daythe theme of protection, the need to protect refugees and other people who runaway from persecution and conflict. This is, for us, our reason for being. Andwe would like people to be aware that refugees need this protection because inmany cases (they) risk their lives or violations of human rights if they ardforced to go back home," he says.
Spindler outlines the worst trouble spots for theUNHCR. "The largest number of refugees is found in the Middle East. Just twocountries, for instance, account for half of all refugees in the world today.And those are Iraq and Afghanistan," he says.
As for Africa, he says, "Africa has seen a smalldecrease in the number of refugees last year, a small decrease of about sixpercent, mainly due to successful voluntary repatriation in countries likeSudan, particularly to the south. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, whereover 60,000 people returned last year. Liberia and Burundi. At the same time,continued conflict in other countries, and in some of those same countrieswhere refugees were returning to, like DRC, which at the same time people werefleeing, others were returning. The same with Sudan."
In total, there were about 120,000 newrefugees in Africa in 2007.