Iraqi refugees start to return back from Saudi Arabia
Iraq-Saudi Arabia, Politics, 7/31/2003

The first group of the Iraqi refugees in Rafhaa camp in the Saudi Arabian desert returned back yesterday to southern Iraq, following 12 years they had spent in exile.

A procession of five buses including 244 Iraqis passed yesterday the Kuwaiti- Iraqi borders to Um Qaser accompanied by UN officials and Saudi officials. One UN official who received the refugees at the port, Muhammad Adar, said that the "refugees will be transported from Um Qaser port to al-Basra university as a first station and will be then transported to their houses, and relatives."

Iraqi refugee Shahrour Taher ( 38 year old) said "the days were bitter and difficult. As there were mass graves for the Iraqi deaths in Iraq there were also grave masses but for living Iraqis in the camp." He explained that "through 13 years I spent in the camp, the press was prevented from coming to cover news on the conditions of the refugees who were suffering bad conditions until the few past months when the Syrian TV and al-Arabia channels were permitted in." He added "Even we were banned from using the mobile telephone during our stay in the camp."

The Iraqi child Ahmad Muhammad ( 7 year old) expressed happiness to return back to Iraq. He said "I am now happy and I can at least see cars, houses and trees. In Rafhaa camp we used to see just the desert."

Muntazir Kazem Jafaar, who was an Iraqi opposition obliged to flee to Iraq after the oppression of the Shiite rebellion in southern Iraq said "the conditions in the camp were very bad." Many Iraqis waited for their relative in the camp.

The UNHCR said that some 3600 Iraqi refugees out of 5233 are still in the camp and will return back home before the end of the year.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Faisal: we will not send forces to Iraq   (7/21/2003)
  Okaz: Saudi contingent join occupation forces in Iraq   (4/28/2003)
  Some 400,000 Iraqi refugees to return back home   (4/23/2003)

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