Resettlement processing for the new P2 group approved in August 2016 continued with steady staffing complemented by secondments funded by UNHCR headquarters and the US Resettlement Support Centre’s African Regional Deployments Unit (ARDU). National capacity was enhanced through training on casework, anti-fraud mechanisms, child protection principles and conflict sensitivity ensured sufficient support for the completion of pre-screening assessments for identified cases. Case processing in Nyabiheke Camp continued to be enhanced through three-day missions, with staff residing at the UNHCR Guest House in Kabarore resulting in increased submissions. Whilst processing continued in Gihembe Camp the numbers were less compared to previous years due to the majority of larger families having already been processed in previous years under the Mudende P2 group. In Kiziba Camp, a backlog of 1,200 people pending pre-screening interviews camp was cleared. As of end of December 2017, 2,682 people have been submitted with 759 people from Gihembe, 956 people from Kiziba, 959 people from Nyabiheke and 8 people from Kigeme. 1,029 people departed on resettlement with 698 traveling from Gihembe, 305 from Kiziba, 22 people from Nyabiheke and from Kigeme. 1,496 of people identified included women and girls at risk. Resettlement anti-fraud systems have been streamlined resulting in proper follow up and finalisation of cases. In the course of 2017, 19 instances of fraud, comprising 31 cases registered in the camps of Gihembe, Kiziba and Nyabiheke were reviewed by the fraud assessment panel. Case processing however slowed down following the change in policy for admissions in the United States of America resulting in an overall 45 per cent reduction on the submissions target for 2017 (from 4,000 to 2,800) and a suspension on new submissions to United States of America from mid-March to end June. Further, to due to an inability to have a selection mission before the end of the Australian fiscal year in July 2017, 33 people submitted to Australia had to be withdrawn at the request of the resettlement country. The change in United States of America policy also necessitated rationalising of staffing resources recruited under the 2016 resettlement upscaling and resulted in the indefinite suspension of ARDU support by end February and two deployments, six national positions and 16 support positions covering Gihembe, Kiziba and Nyabiheke Refugee Camps being discontinued as at 30 June 2017. As a result the main focus between April and June was clearing and cleaning up old cases, improving case tracking mechanisms, facilitating departures, managing refugee expectations through strengthened communication strategies, and training. Whilst submissions to United States of America resumed in July, there are currently 8,329 people in the resettlement pipeline for Gihembe, Kiziba and Nyabiheke refugee camps pending further assessment for submission whilst there remains uncertainty on the continuation of the P2 resettlement programme as initially approved.
