LUSAKA, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The refugees of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who are returning to their country to vote in the forthcoming general elections will not be allowed to come back to Zambia, the Sunday Mail newspaper reported.

    Permanent Secretary of Home Ministry Peter Mumba was quoted as saying that under the law, the refugees who leave for their respective countries voluntarily before formal repatriation is sanctioned by the concerned parties can not be readmitted back as refugees.

    If some refugees from the DRC have made official requests to bepermitted to register as voters in their country, they will be given the permission on condition that they will not return with the same status of refugee, he said.

    He said that any refugee who seeks permission to go back to hiscountry of origin ceases to be a refugee.

    Spokesperson of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Kelvin Shimo also said that refugees who gives valid reason for wanting to return to their countries of origin are released unconditionally but will not be readmitted by the host country as refugees.

    The DRC will hold its first general elections in 40 years in June this year.

    Mumba said at the end of this month, Zambia, the DRC and UNHCR will sign a tripartite agreement on repatriating DRC refugees.

    He said the three parties have been hesitant to start the repatriation because of reported rampant skirmishes in the DRC.

    Zambia is hosting over 60,000 refugees from the DRC. Enditem