NAIROBI, 6 July (IRIN) - One of the drought-hit countries in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea is struggling with a double burden - thousands of Eritreans are being repatriated to their home areas after fleeing the 1998-2000 Ethiopia-Eritrea border conflict. But despite the signing of a peace agreement in December 2000, a final settlement of the border issue is proving to be slow; boundaries have to be decided, peacekeepers are helping keep the forces apart, and de-mining has been hampered by lack of information.

Humanitarian agencies have estimated that at least one third of Eritrea's tiny three million population was affected by the conflict, particularly in the west, where important agricultural areas were occupied by Ethiopian forces. IRIN talked to Simon Nhongo, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Eritrea, about those returning home, and the difficulties they face.

Question: The problems relating to the conflict come on top of a long regional drought, which hit Eritrea. What has happened to those drought-affected communities?

Answer: Eritrea is a drought-prone country, like many of the countries of the Horn. Only some of the regions managed to produce enough for themselves and to export to the food-deficit areas. But this is a long-term food security issue, and I wouldn't say that the shortage of food due to drought is as dramatic as the shortage of food due to the war, or the IDP situation. So that will be coped with as we go along in the normal course of events.

Q: And what is the situation of the thousands of Eritreans returning home, after being displaced by the conflict?

A: So far about 120,000 to 150,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to their places of origin, and around 50,000 to 60,000 IDPs remain in camps because they are unable to return to their homes, either because of the presence of land mines or because their houses, as well as other social amenities - like water, health and school facilities - were destroyed during the war - and their places are totally unviable. Still others cannot go back because they are under occupation by Ethiopian forces, or they are close to the front line.

Q: Are many of those IDPs being absorbed and helped by the local communities and local structures, or is this a big issue for the humanitarian agencies?

A: Well the numbers I have mentioned who are still remaining in IDP camps are being helped by the humanitarian community, but their are others whose numbers remain indeterminate - who are remaining with host communities either in urban areas or in rural areas, and so far it looks like whatever means they are using to survive, the situation is not as dire as when they left their homes last year.

Q: There have been reports about people returning to mine-affected areas - even though the agencies are not repatriating to such places. Is there concern about this sort of spontaneous movement?

A: Yes, there are people who go back to their areas of origin because they are eager to resume their normal lives, and the major group among those are the herd-boys looking after livestock - cattle and camels - or small livestock. When you get to the Temporary Security Zone, you find many of them walking their animals almost oblivious to the land-mine situation. Our impression is even those who are aware of the land-mine danger feel they have no option but to take their cattle wherever they can get the pasture that they need. The danger is there, but so far, thankfully there haven't been as many land-mine incidents more than what has been reported.

Q: One of the affected areas is the one known as the "breadbasket" of Eritrea - what are you looking at in terms of food needs over the next year?

A: Yes, indeed the two affected regions of Gash Barka and Dabub contribute about 75 percent of the cereal production nationally. Last year the production was much, much less than what is normally produced, which in itself is never enough to satisfy national needs. But this year it is likely to be better than last year, because at least some of the people who could not farm last year have been able to go back. But... we expect a shortfall in the production of food in the year 2001. Whatever is being planted now is going to be harvested in November, and that will determine how much food is required for 2002. We are already expecting to do a consolidated appeal for 2002 precisely because we know the food production is going to fall short of national food needs. So we don't know so far the proportion by which it will meet national demand, but we are certain there will be a need for another appeal, which will contain a large food component.