PROTECTION NOTE> West and Central Africa / 15 APRIL 2020 Voluntary repatriation In line with widespread Government containment measures limiting movement to curb the spread of COVID-19, the facilitated voluntary repatriation of refugees has been suspended throughout the region. This suspension is affecting principally population refugees from Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and Mali. However, spontaneous returns are still occurring through the few remaining open borders or through informal border crossing points. These returns without assistance and appropriate protection and health control measures may put both the refugees and their communities at risk. In addition, some return under non favorable circumstances are taking place as result of the deterioration of the security situation in the country of asylum. In Burkina Faso, attacks by irregular armed groups in April 2020 has obliged the 9,000 Malian refugee inhabitants of the Goudoubo refugee camp to flee and 3,000 of them have already returned to Mali. For similar reasons, some returns of Nigerian refugees from Chad may occur as a result of the recent outbreak of violence in the Lake Chad Region. Response • • • • • • Engagement with refugee communities to inform them about the context, explain the suspension of the facilitation of voluntary repatriation, seek their patience and discourage spontaneous returns through informal border crossing points without adequate health prevention measures in place; Negotiations with Governments for the opening of humanitarian corridors with health prevention measures in place for the most pressing cases; Support to Governments to establish health prevention and response mechanisms/facilities in strategic border zones; Continue reintegration activities of returnees in Central African Republic, including those who have repatriated spontaneously, through provision of cash-based support, livelihood interventions, access to identity documentation, in addition to legal support for land, housing, and property; Coordination between Chad and Nigeria to monitor the possible large-scale spontaneous return of Nigerians. In Nigeria, UNHCR is engaging registration and protection staff to respond to the possible influx; Engagement with the authorities in Mali to register returnees and provide immediate relief in terms of shelter, cash-based support, as well as health and personal hygiene supplies. Resettlement and complementary pathways All resettlement departures have been suspended globally since 17 March 2020. The most significant impact of COVID-19 on resettlement and complementary pathways to third countries in the region is the loss of already allocated resettlement slots. Resettlement countries continue to request submissions and are assessing how they might adapt their programmes to the current context in www.unhcr.org consultation with UNHCR. Australia confirmed on 30 March that they can no longer process cases against the current fiscal year ending on 30 June, meaning that 284 individual slots are effectively lost in the West and Central Africa region (134 Cameroon and 150 Chad). It has already been confirmed that these will not be compensated for in the 2020/2021 fiscal year. Some other 7