U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 1998 - Saudi Arabia

  At the end of 1997, there were an estimated 116,000 refugees and asylum seekers in need of protection in Saudi Arabia. According to the government, 111,000 of these were Palestinians whom it did not formally recognize as refugees. Another 5,632 Iraqi refugees and 151 Afghan refugees were living in the Rafha camp. Saudi Arabia, which has not signed the UN Refugee Convention, lacks a procedure or legal framework for determining refugee status. Refugees from Iraq During the 1991 Gulf War, more than 90,000 Iraqis sought refuge with coalition forces in the occupied zone of southern Iraq. Some 33,000 were eventually settled in two camps in Saudi Arabia, Artawiya (for single men) and Rafha (primarily for families and women). Artawiya camp was merged with Rafha camp during the last months of 1992. In 1997, the vast majority of Iraqi refugees in Rafha were ethnic Arab Shi'ite Muslims, primarily from urban areas and the marshes of southern Iraq. Fewer than 50 Sunni refugees resided in the camp during the year, according to UNHCR. A separate Sunni camp was dismantled in 1996, and the few remaining residents were integrated into the main camp. Fewer than five ethnic Turkoman refugees were residing in Rafha in 1997; one ethnic Turkoman was resettled to the United States in October 1997. No Christians were among the Rafha camp population at year's end. Although Saudi Arabia provided health care, air cooling in the living quarters, and primary and secondary schooling, Rafha remained a closed camp in 1997. Saudi authorities prohibited refugees from traveling outside the camp, located in a highly militarized zone. Saudi soldiers regularly patrolled the camp in armed vehicles and strictly enforced a nightly curfew. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense and Aviation, through its military personnel and a Saudi Arabian nongovernmental organization called the International Islamic Relief Organization, controlled all camp services, although UNHCR maintained a presence in both Rafha and Riyadh during the year. To dispel camp rumors that the Saudi authorities were interested in moving the camp population to a more secure location farther from the Iraqi border, the Saudi government officially told the refugees in March 1997 that the camp would not be moved. They also said that Rafha would remain closed. This dashed refugee hopes that the Saudi authorities might allow the residual population to live in a different location with a more open camp setting, or to relax restrictions in Rafha. Instead, the Saudis intensified camp security in 1997, concerned that Iraqi infiltrators could illegally enter the camp because of its close proximity (about 12 km) to the border. As the Rafha camp population declined, the Saudi authorities demolished housing blocks in the camp. At year's end, only 6 of the original 17 sectors remained. Camp demographics changed as well, exacerbating social tensions. As more families were resettled, the ratio of single men to family units increased, and the previous strict segregation of single men from the family area dissipated. Rafha remained a bleak site, isolated behind barbed wire, hot, flat, and dusty. Resettlement From the beginning of Iraqi refugee resettlement from Saudi Arabia, the United States proposed that the combined number of refugees resettled annually to other countries at least equal the number accepted by the United States. In fact, when the U.S. resettlement program ended on December 15, the United States had resettled almost exactly half of the refugees who had been resettled from Rafha camp. As of December 31, 1997, 24,264 refugees had been resettled from Rafha, 12,209 of whom traveled to the United States. The other 12,055 were resettled elsewhere. Major resettlement countries included Iran (2,645), Sweden (2,208), Australia (1,796), Canada (1,226), the Netherlands (1,061), Finland (842), and Denmark (811). As the major resettlement program ended, fewer refugees than expected sought the resettlement option. Many said they were willing to wait in Rafha camp, believing that Iraq's political system might change, allowing them to return home safely. UNHCR also identified some who did not want to resettle in a non-Muslim country. With the end of the U.S. program, few other countries expressed an interest in continuing to resettle refugees from Rafha camp. By year's end, it was still unclear whether Iran would accept additional refugees from Rafha. A delegation from Iran visited Rafha camp in June 1997. UNHCR had hoped that the visiting team would bring conclusive news about the more than 1,500 refugees in Rafha identified by UNHCR and an earlier Iranian selection mission for possible "relocation" to Iran. The delegation, however, stayed only one day, calling their visit an "assessment mission." UNHCR does not consider relocation to Iran a "durable solution," because refugees who move to Iran from Rafha are sometimes housed in camp-like settings, receive little government assistance in the transition, and have no track toward permanent residence. However, many particularly religious refugees, and those with relatives in Iran (who generally fled from southern Iraq), were interested in pursuing at least temporary resettlement in Iran. The Saudi Arabian government has assured the international community that it will allow all Iraqi refugees currently in Rafha to stay as long as conditions in Iraq remain threatening to them. The authorities have also pledged to continue to maintain the camp and to provide material assistance. The government stresses, however, that its asylum offer is temporary and that it will not grant refugees a more permanent status or allow them to live freely or work in Saudi Arabia. Repatriation About 3,000 Iraqi refugees have voluntarily repatriated from Rafha since UNHCR established its permanent presence in the camp in late 1991. The vast majority of these returned during the first few years. Voluntary repatriations have been few since that time. The Saudi government gives returning refugees a grant of approximately $800. UNHCR interviews potential returnees to ensure that their repatriation is voluntary. UNHCR protection officers escort returning refugees to the border. The Saudi military facilitates transportation to the border where relatives and Iraqi border authorities (but no international monitoring body) meet returnees. Because Iraq refuses to ensure the safety of returning refugees and restricts access to them, UNHCR does not promote repatriation for the Rafha population. Ten Iraqi refugees voluntarily repatriated in 1997, according to UNHCR. In October 1997, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iraq reported an allegation that ten refugees who returned from Saudi Arabia in mid-May 1997 were imprisoned for 15 days, tortured, and poisoned. Upon release, all reportedly died from poisoning. Before being released, the returnees said they were forced to eat "unusual" food. Bleeding, hair loss, and paralysis preceded their deaths. Other Foreign Nationals Saudi Arabia's 1992 Basic Law says that "the State will grant political asylum," but qualifies this by adding "if the public interest mitigates" in favor of it. The government has not established procedures for adjudicating refugee claims. In practice, many foreigners who might have well-founded fears of persecution if returned to their home countries stay in Saudi Arabia as part of its large expatriate workforce rather than as recognized refugees. Foreigners comprise about half of the country's workforce, and one-third of Saudi Arabia's population. Foreign workers come mostly from south and southeast Asia and poorer Arab countries; they include about 1.4 million persons from India. Foreign workers must have Saudi sponsors. Employers, who routinely keep foreign employees' passports, control their movement within Saudi Arabia, as well as their ability to remain or to leave the country. In July, the government cracked down on undocumented foreigners living in the country. An estimated 400,000 undocumented foreigners left Saudi Arabia "voluntarily" after the government announced an October 15 deadline for leaving the country without penalty. After the deadline, Saudi authorities began arresting undocumented aliens. By year's end, at least 2,500 had been deported. In December, USCR wrote to the Saudi government regarding reports from Amnesty International that 31 Libyan nationals claiming a fear of persecution in Libya were at risk of being forcibly repatriated. The 31 Libyans, including women and children, had been held at the al-Ruwais Prison in Jeddah without trial since December 1995. About 111,000 Palestinians reside in Saudi Arabia, according to the latest government figures, dating from 1995. The Palestine Liberation Organization estimates that the number of Palestinians residing in Saudi Arabia is closer to 250,000. In general, Palestinians residing outside the UNRWA-mandate area (Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza) are regarded as prima facie refugees. More than 100 Afghan refugees also lived in Rafha camp at the end of 1997, all long-term residents in southern Iraq at the time of the Gulf War (and many of whom had moved to the Shi'ite holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala in Iraq to pursue Islamic studies and training). UNHCR's review of the small Afghan caseload in December 1996 indicated that most were not interested in resettlement to a non-Muslim country. Sixteen Afghan refugees resettled in Iran in 1997.