United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres has reiterated the importance of restoring peace before Malian refugees return to their country.

Speaking on Tuesday when he visited northern Mali, Guterres said Malian refugees he met in Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger had "expressed their desire to return to Mali."

"To do this, we must meet three conditions, the first is peace. And I want to express our desire to see the success of the peace process that began in Algeria so that lasting peace can be restored in Mali," he said.

Guterres said the objective of the UNHCR is to "support the peace process, contribute to the restoration of the country and the security so that refugees can return in the near future."

"The refugees also spoke of the need to access social services such as education and health," he said, adding that the "satisfaction of these conditions was an obligation of the Malian government, the UN and UNCHR."

Latest statistics show that over 140,000 Malian refugees are living in neighboring countries with 53,969 in Mauritania, 51,350 in Niger, 33,025 in Burkina Faso and 1,500 in Algeria.

By July, the Malian government had recorded over 31,800 refugees who had returned to the country. While at the same time, 126,200 people are still living as internally displaced persons. Endi

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