UNHCR team still awaiting access to persons of concern in Morocco

GENEVA, October 19 (UNHCR) - A senior UN refugee agency team sent to Morocco on October 11 is still awaiting government permission to gain access to people of concern to the agency who are reportedly being held in various parts of the country.

Although no firm figures are available, the agency has evidence that dozens of sub-Saharan Africans holding UNHCR documentation have been picked up by Moroccan authorities in a crackdown on irregular migration, said Ekber Menemencioglu, Director of UNHCR's Bureau for Central Asia, South West Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.

"UNHCR reiterates that these persons must not be refouled - or forcibly returned to a country where they may face persecution - and we have repeatedly sought access to them, so far in vain," Menemencioglu said.

He noted that the team in the Moroccan capital Rabat has been interviewing people who manage to get to UNHCR's office there.

UNHCR recognizes the legitimate right of governments to manage irregular migration, but notes that within such large flows there are often people fleeing persecution and violence who deserve access to proper asylum procedures, Menemencioglu said. UNHCR strongly urges the Moroccan authorities to respect international protection principles, particularly against refoulement, and to treat everyone humanely, he added.

In addition to Morocco, UNHCR has sent missions over the past three weeks to the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta, and to the Canary Islands. High Commissioner António Guterres also called for a meeting of the Geneva Migration Group, whose members include the heads of six international organizations.