No refuge for relocated refugees

Rusty, corrugated iron roofs welcome visitors to Blantyre, a squatter at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa District.

It is dotted with narrow, dusty roads and poor drainage.

This settlement harbours the house of Niilibe Siloza’s aunt, now her new home.

The 22-year-old returned to the camp last year following the government’s relocation campaign which forced refugees from towns and cities back to the 30-year-old facility.

Her dwelling place is a rectangular mud shack with an untidy front yard comprising a wobbly kitchen, stores and a chicken coop unattractively dressed in torn sacks.

“I was as good as homeless when I returned,” says Siloza who blames the relocation policy for partly contributing to her marriage breakup.

Nursing an eight-month-old baby, Siloza says she was married to a Malawian and lived at Senti, a populous neighbourhood in Lilongwe.

The Democratic Republic of Congo national has registered her two children as refugees.

“They are Malawians, but I am not in touch with their father. I need support and I can only get it from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] if they have refugee status,” she adds.

Siloza used to run a business with her husband, but says it’s not easy to raise two children single-handedly without an income.

About 300 refugees, including 100 children, were arrested in Lilongwe and sent to the overcrowded Dzaleka Camp.

The Ministry of Homeland Security asked the refugees to return to Dzaleka in April last year on grounds that they were a security threat and snatching economic opportunities from Malawians.

Innocent Nyanguru, formerly a businessperson in Area 25 in Lilongwe, was among them.

 “Upon my release, I found my shop broken into and looted. I survive on piece works which are not easy to find,” the 23-year-old laments.

The ministry’s Principal Secretary Steve Kayuni did not respond to our questionnaire we sent two weeks ago to clarify whether the relocation has solved challenges perceived to be brought by the refugees.

However, Youth and Society executive director Charles Kajoloweka asked the government to assess if the move can still be justified a year on.

“Malawians are the best judges to tell whether the relocation has created better business and job opportunities,” he said.

Inua Advocacy, an independent civil society organisation that advocates for refugees rights, says the relocation has led to a dire humanitarian crisis, marked by severe hardship, insecurity and lack of essential services.

“The relocation has worsened the lives of many refugees and asylum seekers. Individuals who were once self-reliant are now forced to depend on humanitarian aid.

“Schools are overcrowded, preventing many children from attending classes.

“Other social amenities, including health services, water and shelter are strained,” it said in a statement marking the first anniversary of the refugees relocation.

According to UNHCR, Malawi is home to almost 70 000 refugees and asylum-seekers.

Most live in Dzaleka, a camp set up in 1994 to accommodate about 12 000 people but currently hosts more than 56 000