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Asylum seekers on hunger strike
01/11/2005 21:31 - (SA)
Guelmin - A group of 71 asylum seekers from Africa and Asia have begun a hunger strike at a detention camp in southwestern Morocco in an attempt to gain refugee status from the United Nations, a human rights group said on Monday.
The asylum-seekers started a hunger strike on Sunday to get their status quickly recognised by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (MAHR).
Authorities in the city of Guelmim said 71 illegal immigrants from the Ivory Coast, Congo, India and Bangladesh were on a hunger strike over the poor conditions of the military barracks where they have been held, as part of a group of 247 people, for the past two weeks.
A HCR official in Rabat, Johannes Van der Klaauw, said they had sent Moroccan authorities a list of 85 names of immigrants who are recognised by the UNHCR as asylum seekers but had so far received no reply.
"We have reason to believe that part of this group is in Guelmim and we hope to go there. This request becomes even more urgent because of this hunger strike. For the moment we have not received authorisation," Van der Klaauw said.
Influx of people
However the UNHCR will be re-examining these cases "to make sure of the difference between economic immigrants and people who have fled for political reasons", he said.
About 1 700 applications for asylum have been received and more than 40 arrive each day at the UNHCR.
"There is really a flood which doesn't allow us to quickly assess the cases and give refugee status to those who are entitled to it," the UNHCR representative said.
Under the current process a person seeking refugee status is registered and must pass an interview. While waiting for the decision the person obtains a certificate valid for three months, but renewable, proving he is an asylum seeker. There are currently 275 such people in Morocco.
If rejected there is 30 days in which to make an appeal and a new inquiry process is started. During this time the applicant is under the protection of the UNHCR and cannot be returned home.
Meanwhile Moroccan authorities said they had intercepted two boats carrying 64 illegal immigrants, heading for Spain, off the north coast of the North African country.
- AFP
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