‘Only God knows’ about fate of refugees

THE spokesperson for the 41 refugees stranded at the Mamuno border post between Namibia and Botswana say that ‘only God Himself knows’ when they will leave the area.

The Namibian Government on Friday declared that it would ‘never’ allow the group – who left the country citing ‘insecurity’ and ‘death threats’ by the Government – to return.Prior to Namibia’s announcement, the Botswana government had said it would not allow the refugees across its borders, arguing that it believed the group to have found safety in Namibia.All 41 refugees – including 23 children – are from the DRC and had been living at the Osire Refugee Camp.Joel Kabangu Mwamba told The Namibian that he was aware of the Government’s position, and that the group would not have returned to Namibia in any case. He said they planned to remain in ‘no man’s land’ between the two countries’ border posts until a solution is found.He said no response had yet been forthcoming from the Botswana government, although the National Society of Human Rights has stated that according to international law, the country has no option but to take in the refugees.Mwamba also said that the group did not trust the efforts of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), despite the organisation’s continued provision of humanitarian assistance to the group.’Those people (UNHCR) are lying every time… we can’t talk with them. We don’t trust them because since that time, we gave them the letters we had sent to the Ministry, but they also provided no answer; and we can’t trust them because they are working hand in hand with the Namibian Government,’ he said.The UNHCR previously tried to convince the refugees to return to the country, but Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration, Rosalia Nghidinwa, on Friday told media that this had not been done in consultation with the Ministry. Since Government’s announcement that it would ‘never’ allow the refugees back, the UNHCR has only stated that ‘We have been seized with this situation for the past three weeks and continue to hope that a humanitarian solution can be found’.nangula@namibian.com.na