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In the weeks leading up to the voluntary repatriation of Caprivi refugees on July 11, 2018, security agents, including the police, were deployed to the camp and a curfew was imposed on the refugees. [19659002RefugeesmightbeexpulsedaftermanyofthemfolkwouldnotwishlyfamilynotwithintheirNamibiecountry
refusing to register and trying several times to seek audience, especially in the offices of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). ). In the wake of this week's court ruling banning the government from repatriating refugees and ordering the release of detainees, logistics would be put in place to comply with the court order.
In an interview with one of the refugee leaders, Tyson Mujela, he stated that their lawyer had informed them that the order had been sent to He explained that, in the state At present, it appears that former detainees at the Center for Illegal Immigrants in Francistown (FCII) will soon be released.
"It's just a matter of logistics to be done, of course, they are released and we are happy that the court intervened on our behalf," he said.
Mujela, however, stated that their desire to stay in the country by translating in court should not be seen as a fight against the government.He explained that sometimes they were in a compromising situation that they were forced to ask for.
"We can not take the intervention of the court from us as a victory. We are simply pleased that Botswana respects the rule of law and the separation of powers as displayed by the courts. Botswana has welcomed us and protected us and for that we will always be grateful, "he said.
On the situation at the camp, Mujela said that they were happy that everything was normalized.
said that since they approached, the presence of security officers has decreased and that now they were no longer visible
at camp. "We are happy with the current situation and will continue to to cooperate amicably with the government because it has never been to fight, "said Mujela.
Meanwhile, Godfrey Nthomiwa, a judge of the Supreme Court of Lobatse, ordered the expulsion of 709 refugees who refused to sign for voluntary repatriation.
He ordered that, pending a petition for review to be filed by the refugees, no one should deport refugees to Namibia or the Caprivi Band. "Respondents , or anyone claiming to be acting r in their name, are prevented from expelling the applicants, "he said. The deadline for repatriation was 11 July 2018, and those who had not signed to be repatriated were threatened with expulsion in accordance with the Immigration Act. The judge also ordered that the Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Issues release detainees held at the FCII and return them to the Dukwi refugee camp.
The refugees, among them Felix Kakula, who led another case in 2015, were arrested in the SADC offices last week while they were trying to make themselves heard by the regional corps on the forced repatriation process.
In addition, the judge stated that the refugees should not be repatriated. He also ordered the government to comply with a 2016 ruling.
This year, as Botswana pushed on one side and the Namibian government pulled on the other, refugees were relieved. when Lobatse High Court Judge Jennifer Dube, repatriation saying that the government could not show that the refugees would be safe in Namibia.
The refugees, who survived the 1998/99 bloody secessionist clash in the Caprivi Strip, resisted repatriation on the grounds of possible persecution by the Namibian government. , who banned the party they fought against two decades ago. Refugees do not recognize the authority of Namibia in the Caprivi Band and say rather that the SADC should open a dialogue about it
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