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Authorities in Botswana should not force any of the Caprivi refugees to return to their home country, Namibia, if there is a real risk of persecution or other serious human rights violations , said Wednesday
more than 900 refugees, were left in limbo after the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told them that they would no longer receive services such as food rations and access to medical care at the hospital. Dukwi refugee camp, where they have lived for almost two decades
The deadline for their voluntary repatriation expired on Wednesday.
"These men, women and children should not be forced to return home if their personal safety can not be badured," said Muleya Mwananyanda, Deputy Director of Amnesty International for Southern Africa.
"A lot of things are at stake here, if the government of Botswana forces people to return to Namibia where they may face human rights violations, it will violate its international and national obligations under the law. "
This is not the first time that Botswana has attempted to repatriate refugees. In 2015, the government of Botswana announced that it had revoked the refugee status of Namibians.
Later in January 2016, the Botswana High Court ruled that Namibian refugees should not be repatriated until a judicial decision was made against the revocation order.
This judgment was confirmed on appeal in March 2016 on the grounds that the Ministry of Defense, Justice and Security had the obligation to ensure the safe return of the applicants.
Amnesty International visited Botswana last month. They expressed fear and anxiety after the government withdrew their refugee status without any support if they chose to return to Namibia. The refugees told the organization that the situation left them in a precarious position
Facing an uncertain future
Some people have expressed their fears about their future in Botswana. A refugee who arrived in the country in 1998 told Amnesty International: "Now the situation is terrifying. We do not know what will happen to us. Our children will not be able to go to school. 99% of the children are born here, they are born Batswana. "
Another refugee accused the government of Botswana of abandoning them and told Amnesty International:" The government of Botswana is pushing us, we are in a situation where we do not know where to go. "
Amnesty International said she was also aware of the other 16 former refugees, who were part of the original group to flee the country, who did not receive permission from Namibia. government to come back.
This means that if they return to Namibia, they will be "illegal immigrants" and detained at the Francistown Center for Illegal Immigrants.
Amnesty International is concerned that such detentions could lead to statelessness and the separation of families.
"Botswana has an obligation to protect and enforce the human rights of everyone in its territory, and the government can not ignore people who have nowhere where to go, "said Muleya Mwananyanda
. The Botswana authorities must guarantee the dignity and safety of all those who choose to return to Namibia. Thousands have fled the Zambezi region (formerly the Caprivi Strip) in Namibia since 1998, fleeing persecution as a result of political tensions between the government and the secessionist Caprivi group. Liberation Army (CLA). The tension degenerated with an armed attack launched by the CLA against government forces and buildings on August 2, 1999 in the Caprivi region, northeast of Namibia
The Namibian government has declared the state of Emergency and arrested more than 300 people suspected of participating in the attack, sympathize with the secessionists or help them plan or launch the attacks.
Fearing persecution and political violence, many people have fled to neighboring Botswana, where they have been living for nearly two decades. While many returned home, some remained in Botswana
– African News Agency (ANA)
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