Ivorian refugees are gradually returning home. The first repatriation of the week led by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR ) and its partners took place on Tuesday 24 September 2013, and involved 239 Ivorians from 59 households . Bin Houye , Zouan Hounien and Danané were their final destinations.



The latest repatriation operation was on Friday, 27 September 2013. 390 refugees from 132 families who were at PTP and Solo camps in Liberia voluntarily decided to return home. From the Ivorian border to the transit site for the filling of official procedures, these volunteers of the 57th group were escorted by peacekeepers of the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire ( UNOCI). Among them were 18 people who had made ​​the trip as part of the '' Go and See '' project. This group of refugees were not returning home but had instead come to see the realities of the country and in order to go back to report to others who are still in refugee camps and reluctant to return home.



They will stay in Côte d'Ivoire from 27 September to 4 October 2013 during which they will have discussions with the administrative authorities of Blolequin, Duékoué, Bangolo, Danané, Zouan Hounien, and Toulepleu. Their activity will be done with the support of UNHCR and its partners which are the Service of Aid and Assistance for Refugees and Stateless Persons (SAARA) for Côte d' Ivoire and the repatriation service for Ivorian refugees in Liberia.

Mrs Bruno Gbahou, the Spokesman of the refugee camps in Liberia, one of the members of the delegation of the ''Go and See ''project, expressed her satisfaction with the way the trip was organised.



"{I was glad and relieved when I crossed the border. Also when I saw the UN soldiers who were waiting to accompany us to Toulepleu I realized that peace and security were back. I also noticed that my country has changed. Everything had been set up for us to be warmly welcomed and I thank you ,} " she said.



It should be noted that the repatriation operations included the family reunification operation on Thursday, 26 September 2013, organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC ).