‘No return until safety is ensured’

DRA president Tijani Sese says Darfur refugees’ return program will only proceed once they have been provided with adequate securityThe Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) said on Saturday that it will not proceed with the return of Darfuri refugees without providing them with adequate security and other amenities.Tijani Sese, head of the DRA, told Radio Dabanga in an interview that refugees who wish to return to their homes in Darfur or other areas of choice will only be expected to make the move after they have been provided with adequate security and other amenities like water, health and education in those areas.“There will be no voluntary return unless we esnure a continuation of the insurance of the refugees. We do not want to put the refugees in their homes and expose them to killing and displacement. That will only send them back to the camps,” the head of the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), which signed the Doha Peace Agreement (DPA) with the Sudanese government, said.He added that the insurance would be taken care of by a community of displaced people themselves who will be trained and groomed in this area of work.“Before thinking about the return of these refugees, we should be thinking about creating safe areas where people can return and live and work. We will be taking care of these issues along with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),” Sese said.‘Scientific methods’Sese added that the DRA will adopt well-studied scientific methods to ensure safe return of Darfur refugees.“We are studying a step-by-step scientific approach to voluntary return. It requires a lot of planning and material and human resources. We aren’t viewing voluntary return as a trade or blackmail,” he said. He added that no refugee would be forced to return to his or her home town against will.