There are 23,600 refugees in Djibouti, of whom 21,600 are Somali refugees and 2,000 are Ethiopians. The refugee assistance programme is mainly one of care and maintenance. This is because of the extreme climatic and arid conditions in which the camps are located.
Refugees are therefore wholly dependent on external support for their livelihood.
There are no immediate plans for the repatriation of either group of refugees. Plans for the repatriation of the caseload to Northwest Somalia have not been implemented for a variety of reasons, principally the presence of landmines in the returnee areas. CARE International is conducting a survey with the objective of demarcating the mined areas which will need to be demined at a later stage. Because of this, very few reintegration activities have taken place. Both the Government of Djibouti and the administration in Hargeisa have, however, expressed interest in facilitating the voluntary repatriation operation.