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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. of the man.
More than 900 refugees, including at least 400 children who have never lived in Namibia, were left in abeyance after the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told them that they were not safe. they would no longer receive services such as "
" These men, women and children should not be forced to return home if their personal safety can not be guaranteed, "Muleya said. Mwananyanda, deputy director of Amnesty International for Southern Africa
"It's all right if the Botswana government forces people to return to Namibia where they risk being victims of human rights violations and will violate their 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 to meet with some refugees. 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 situation
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 children were 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 is also aware of the other 16 former refugees, who were part of the initial group, fleeing the country, which has not received permission from the Namibian government to return. they return to Namibia, they will be "illegal immigrants" and will be held in the Francistown Center for Illegal Immigrants, and their future is uncertain.Amnesty International fears that this will lead to statelessness and separation of families [19659011] "Botswana has an obligation to protect and respect the human rights of everyone on its territory. go to, "said Muleya Mwananyanda.
The Botswana authorities must ensure the dignity and safety of anyone who chooses to return to Namibia Thousands of people 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 group, the Caprivi Liberation Army (CLA) The tension intensified with an armed attack launched on 2 August 1999 by the CLA against Government forces and buildings in the Caprivi region, northeastern Namibia
The Namibian government declared the state of emergency and arrested more than 300 people. attacking, sympathizing with secessionists or helping them plan or launch attacks.
Fearing persecution and political violence, many people fled to neighboring Botswana, where they live for almost two decades. While many returned home, some remained in Botswana
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