UN General Assembly
1997

The political problems of the Great Lakes have precipitated a grave humanitarian challenge as millions of people have been forced into a life of exile as refugees. This has placed an enormous burden on the countries of the region, including my own, which has had to shoulder it without commensurate resources. We appreciate the great work done by United Nations agencies and many humanitarian non-governmental organizations in terms of providing the much-needed assistance to the refugees. Indeed, without this support, the life of the refugees would have been most unbearable. Yet even with this much-appreciated assistance, the burden left to refugee- receiving States has been enormous. The economic, social, environmental and security consequences of hosting the refugees will have long-lasting effects from which these countries will continue to suffer even after the repatriation of the refugees has been completed. This raises the fundamental issue of assisting the asylum countries, not only to cope with the immediate task of meeting the needs of the refugees, but also with the long- term effects of hosting them. This aspect needs addressing. 24