"Refugees from War Torn West Africa Arrive in Bolton"

The second group of refugees from war torn West Africa to be offered protection in the UK through a United Nations resettlement programme will arrive in Bolton today, the Home Office said.

The Liberian and Congolese refugees have been given sanctuary in the UK under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Gateway protection programme, an international refugee resettlement programme. A total of eighty one refugees will be settled in Bolton, following the successful arrival of an earlier group in Sheffield. The arrival in Bolton of the first thirty-four refugees today will be followed by the rest of the group over the coming weeks and months.

The refugees include families with young children who fled Liberia during the civil war of the early 1990s and have since been living in refugee camps in Sierra Leone. The group also includes families who fled the continuing fighting in Eastern Congo and had been living in refugee camps in Uganda. Many of them have endured further attacks in their country of refuge. Most of the women are survivors of rape and torture while others have witnessed the murder of family members.

Full Article : scotsman.com