United Nations Radio

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says it has decided to revise the number of internally displaced persons (IDP's) caused by the conflict in South Ossetia.

UNHCR says based on detailed profiling of internally displaced persons that it has just completed in cooperation with the authorities, new statistics show that a total of 192, 000 people were forced to flee their homes, including 127, 000 displaced in Georgia proper; 30, 000 within South Ossetia; and another 35, 000 in North Ossetia (Russian Federation).

UNHCR Spokesman Ron Redmond says of the 127,000 displaced in Georgia, nearly 70,000 have since returned with another 5,000 scheduled to go home before the onset of winter:

"As for the remaining 54,000 internally displaced, UNHCR estimates that 23,000 will need to be provided with alternative shelter through the winter months, but will be able to return home in 2009 once their houses have been rehabilitated."

In another development, UNHCR says working in cooperation with the Georgia government, it is now putting an end to spontaneous relocations of internally displaced from the capital Tblisi to the overcrowded tent camp in Gori.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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