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Tales from Refugees Stuck in Madagascar

Given its isolation and underdevelopment, Madagascar, a nation of about 30 million people, is not a magnet for refugees. According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), there are currently 180 registered refugees in the country, mainly from Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are an additional 109 asylum seekers in the country, according to the agency. The UN has said the Malagasy government, which is emerging from years of political crisis, offers refugees and asylum seekers protection from expulsion or forced return to their home countries, but has no law to provide them with social support, work authorisation, or healthcare.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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