Refugees to return home

GENEVA (Reuter) - The United Nations announced that it would begin repatriation next month of 1.3 million refugees from Mozambique who fled to neighbouring states during the 16-year civil war. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, said the operation would be the largest ever undertaken in Africa by her organisation.

It follows the signing in Rome last October of a peace accord between the government and the Mozambique National Resistance Movement (Renamo) opposition. Under the plan, more than 500,000 people are expected to return home this year. The whole programme is expected to take at least three years.