Inua Advocacy, civil society organisation that advocates for refugee rights in Malawi and beyond, has reported Malawi to the African Union (AU) over alleged human rights violations in the country.
The organisation has made an urgent appeal to the AU to intervene on the issue including the country’s planned resumption of forced relocations of refugees from urban and rural areas to Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa.
Inua has particularly complained about alleged ongoing and unresolved human rights violations against refugees, asylum seekers and human rights defenders in the country.
The complaint has been submitted through chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Professor Remy Lumbu Ngoy and Commissioner Selma Sassi-Safer the AU Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons, and Migrants in Africa.
In its letter, Inua has asked the AU to lead an independent fact-finding mission to independently verify the abuses committed against refugees, asylum seekers, and human rights defenders in Malawi with special attention to outstanding violations, sexual violence, arbitrary detentions, and continued attack on our right to civic space.
The complaint comes a year after a similar submission was made during the 79th Session of the ACHPR in October 2023 by a consortium of local organisations detailing alleged human rights violations committed against refugees and asylum seekers in the country.
“Despite these concerns, no investigations have been undertaken, and the perpetrators of these violations have not been held accountable. As a result, these abuses continue unabated, further compounding the suffering of refugees in Malawi,” reads the letter dated October 24 2024.
The organisation has also called on the AU to protect it and other human rights defenders from further harassment and threats and also to condemn the shrinking civic space while upholding the right to advocate for refugees without fear of reprisal.
“The forced relocation policy should be suspended, and Malawi’s refugee policies must be reformed to align with its numerous commitments to improve the lives of refugees and meet its international obligations,” reads the letter.
Both Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu and Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma were not available yesterday for their comments.
On March 27 last year, the government issued a relocation order for refugees to return to the camp over security threats.
