SOME 200 Ethiopian refugees in Sudan are staging a protest against a decision by the UN High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) to strip them of their refugee status because the reasons that drove them from Ethiopia vanished with Mengistu Haile Meriam’s 1991 ousting. The refugees may now accept to be repatriated with UNHCR help or try to stay in Sudan. If they stay, they would lose the right to UN food and financial aid and may have to leave if they fail to obtain residency. If they return, they fear they could be persecuted as opponents of the current government. – AFP