LAGOS  (AFP) – The UN refugee agency Friday gave Liberian refugees in Nigeria until mid-year to either voluntarily return home or be declared migrants.

About 5,000 Liberian refugees, some of whom have been in Nigeria since the 1990s after they fled the civil war in their country, currently live in Nigeria, Gogo Hukportie of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) told AFP.

“If you wish to return to Liberia, you can repatriate soon after registering for voluntary repatriation. On July 1, 2012, you won’t be refugees anymore,” she told a meeting of about 70 Liberian refugees in Lagos.

“You will lose the legal status which protected you during your years of exile,” she said.

Some Liberians are reluctant to return home.

“We ran away from home because of insecurity. There are still peacekeeping forces in Liberia. This means peace has not returned to our country. Do you now want to push us out to Liberia?” said Jonas Gaye Kraty.

One of Africa’s bloodiest conflicts, Liberia’s war claimed over 200,000 lives and sent a million people into refugee camps in nearby countries.