SITUATION OF CONGOLESE REFUGEES IN BAMAKO

UNCLAS BAMAKO 001196 SIPDIS SIPDIS ACCRA FOR REFCOORD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF PHUM ML SUBJECT: SITUATION OF CONGOLESE REFUGEES IN BAMAKO DETERIORATING REF: A. BAMAKO 01067 ¶B. MESTETSKY-FEDZER EMAILS ¶1. Mamadou Sidibe, the acting director of the United Nations High Commission for Refugee's (UNHCR) office in Mali, told the Embassy on October 10 that UNHCR was unable to provide further assistance to the 27 Congolese refugees now in Bamako, effectively abandoning the Congolese to their fate on the erroneous grounds that they had failed to qualify for resettlement. It appears, in fact, that interference from the Algerian government prevented any resettlements. ¶2. Algeria illegally deported the group, which had already received refugee status from UNHCR, to Mali on August 25. The group then spent three weeks in northern Mali, caught between land mines and Tuareg rebel cross-fire, until a report on Radio France alerted UNHCR to their predicament (ref A). With assistance from their headquarters in Dakar, UNHCR succeeded in transporting the 27 men to Bamako. The Association of Former UN Volunteers, which partners with UNHCR in Mali, provided each Congolese with USD 80 upon arrival in Bamako. This is currently the extent of UNHCR's assistance to the Congolese. ¶3. We find UNHCR's attitude toward the 27 Congolese refugees troubling. The Congolese reported that UNHCR officials were dismissive of their situation and questioned the veracity of their ordeal. The accusations were validated when UNHCR officials repeated these allegations to the Embassy, describing the refugees as "ungrateful" and overly-interested in resettlement. One UNHCR employee told the Embassy that the Congolese were "not to be trusted." Subsequent information provided to Embassy Mali by Embassy Algiers, UNHCR Algiers, UNHCR Cairo and the International Office of Migration, however, has subsequently verified the refugees' account. This information was passed to UNHCR Mali. ¶4. Acting Director Sidibe claimed that by hiring a truck to rescue the refugees from northern Mali and arranging for a one-time payment of USD 80 upon arrival in Bamako, UNHCR had already surpassed what it would normally do for refugees. He claimed that because the UNHCR office in Mali is not a "real" office but only a shoe-string operation of three people designed to manage "urgent and exceptional" cases, UNHCR was unable to do anything more for the group beyond assuring that they had legal protection from the Malian government. ¶5. Sidibe said UNHCR had a contract with the Association of Former UN Volunteers to help refugees locate and pay for medical care. On October 15 several refugees reported that the UN Volunteers Association turned ill members of their group away, claiming that there were no funds to cover medical consultations or purchase medicines. The Director of the Association confirmed this and said he was awaiting additional funding from UNHCR. ¶6. Considering the serious and rapidly deteriorating condition of the Congolese, and our hope that a resettlement country will be soon identified (ref B),we urged Sidibe to ask UNHCR's headquarters in Dakar to authorize and provide funding for food and lodging while the Congolese await resettlement, but it is unclear that Sidibe will make such a demand. ¶7. This cable was cleared by Embassy Algiers. Leonard