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"It is time to think about the future of these people, beyond the context of urgency, to give them a more appropriate form of life, beyond the living conditions of a (refugee) camp," said the UN agency's Ursula Aboubacar.
Living in a tent for more than two years is not fit for a human being, she told a news conference in Tunis, adding that the closure of the camp was aimed at giving the refugees a "better life."
The UNHCR says 800 people are living in the Choucha camp, with another 200 in neighbouring towns.
Around 600 are awaiting settlement in a third country, while the remaining 300 to 400 will stay in Tunisia, some of whom have protested in recent weeks demanding asylum in the West and complaining of discrimination against them.
Among this group, seven Palestinians are currently on hunger strike, while others have been camped outside the UNHCR office in the nearby town of Zarzis.
Tunisia opened its borders to a flood of people -- more than 300,000 -- fleeing the conflict in Libya that led to the overthrow and death in October 2011 of strongman Moamer Kadhafi.
At the height of the crisis, Choucha hosted around 18,000 refugees, most of whom were sent back to their countries of origin, with about 3,000 allowed to settle in the West.
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Living in a tent for more than two years is not fit for a human being, she told a news conference in Tunis, adding that the closure of the camp was aimed at giving the refugees a "better life."
The UNHCR says 800 people are living in the Choucha camp, with another 200 in neighbouring towns.
Around 600 are awaiting settlement in a third country, while the remaining 300 to 400 will stay in Tunisia, some of whom have protested in recent weeks demanding asylum in the West and complaining of discrimination against them.
Among this group, seven Palestinians are currently on hunger strike, while others have been camped outside the UNHCR office in the nearby town of Zarzis.
Tunisia opened its borders to a flood of people -- more than 300,000 -- fleeing the conflict in Libya that led to the overthrow and death in October 2011 of strongman Moamer Kadhafi.
At the height of the crisis, Choucha hosted around 18,000 refugees, most of whom were sent back to their countries of origin, with about 3,000 allowed to settle in the West.
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