United Nations Radio

The United Nations refugee agency says the number of refugees and displaced returning to their homes in the region affected by recent fighting in Georgia has increased following the withdrawal of Russian forces last Friday.

UNHCR says it has opened an office in the Georgian town of Gori and established a provisional warehouse to help the returning people.

UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond says people have been spontaneously returning from areas in and around the capital Tbilisi:

"According to the Georgian government, between 10,000 and 15,000 have already gone back to Gori, out of an initial population estimated at somewhere around 70,000. Most of the returnees had been in contact with neighbours and relatives and were aware of the state of their homes and what they were going back to. Many of the returnees were men who said they first wanted to see the situation for themselves before bringing their families back."

Redmond says people are being advised through local media to watch out for unexploded explosive devices and to stay away from villages that have not yet been cleared of mines and declared safe by the authorities.

Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that access to South Ossetia from within Georgia remains a major humanitarian concern.

This is Dianne Penn for United Nations Radio.

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