Government snubs UN, MHRC on refugees
Ministry of Homeland Security has told the United Nations (UN) that it will continue the process of relocating refugees and asylum seekers to Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa District.
The ministry made its position during a meeting with the UN on Friday and said the process is not part of the UN Charter which allows refugees to be outside designated camps.
In an interview on Saturday, UN resident coordinator Rebecca Adda-Donto said the Malawi Government delegation rejected their calls to suspend the operation.
She said: “They said they had not broken any law because Malawi had made reservations on the Refugee Convention [1951]. They accepted to host refugees, but the reservation was that all refugees should stay in the camp.
“However, Malawi made a commitment that it would reverse the reservations, but the Minister [of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma] made it very clear that they haven’t reversed their decision.
“So, based on that, we appealed that they should come up with durable solutions because short-term measures will not be sustainable.”
The UN envoy has since raised concerns on protection and human rights issues following reports on social media that the refugees and asylum seekers are in prison-like conditions.
“The minister was very apologetic and said they are going to [conduct the relocation exercise] within the law,” she said.
In a separate interview yesterday, Ng’oma confirmed the meeting with the UN and said the UN has not provided them with any other option on the matter.
“They haven’t given us a solution; they are just pleading with us to stop relocating the refugees. The problem is that some Malawians are not happy seeing other people breaking the laws as they are meant to be residing in a refugee camp and not in urban areas,” he said.
Meanwhile, Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has accused government of blocking its quest to investigate alleged human rights violations against refugees being relocated to Dzaleka.
MHRC director of civil and political rights Peter Chisi said yesterday they have been unsuccessful in engaging the refugees at Maula Prison in Lilongwe and Dzaleka, saying they are now seeking help from the Ministry of Justice on the matter.
“We have witnessed some resistance because we wanted to monitor the screening process of the relocated refugees and asylum seekers, but the ministry told us to wait until the screening is complete,” he said.
Malawi Government gave refugees and asylum seekers an April 15 2023 deadline for them to voluntarily relocate to Dzaleka, but some did not comply with the order
According to UNHCR, about 8 000 refugees living in rural and urban locations are expected to return to the camp, which presently accommodates 56 425 refugees.
Over 408 refugees and asylum seekers were last week rounded up nationwide. They were temporarily kept at Maula Prison in Lilongwe, but 152, who had valid refugee and asylum seekers documentations were returned to Dzaleka while seven individuals with valid permits were released.
Dzaleka Refugee Camp was originally established to accommodate up to 12 000 refugees. .
