Runaway refugees ‘arrested’ in Botswana

THE 41 DRC refugees who fled Namibia in early July and had been stranded at the Mamuno border post between Namibia and Botswana for almost three months, have been arrested by the Botswana police, the NSHR has reported.

In a press release issued yesterday, the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) said that it had ‘reliably established that the refugees had been rounded up after going on a hunger strike to protest the ‘inhuman conditions” to which they had been subjected during their time at the border post.The whole group, which consists of 18 adults and 23 children, was arrested on Tuesday night, and taken to the Charleshill police station in Botswana’s Ghanzi District, just across the border from Namibia. They fled Namibia on July 7, citing insecurity due to what they say amounted to ‘death threats’ from the Namibian Government after they complained of ‘unacceptable conditions at Osire’, where they had been living.According to the NSHR, ‘the group was arrested and detained shortly after a Botswana Police District Commissioner allegedly arrived at the Mamuno border post and took six members of the group for ‘discussions inside Botswana’. ‘The Commissioner allegedly expressed dissatisfaction after refugees had refused to eat and rejected the tent they had received from Botswana authorities. The refugees have been living in the tent since their flight from Namibia three months earlier.’The NSHR also said that in their last communication with Executive Director Phil ya Nangoloh, a male refugee said the group had been ‘kidnapped’ by the police, and worried that they might be forcibly returned to the DRC or to Namibia.He also told ya Nangoloh that: ‘The authorities here had told us that they don’t know when we will be out of the jail. Some of our female colleagues are pregnant. If the Botswana authorities say that they are there to protect us, this is not true. We are not protected but jailed. Please inform UNHCR-Pretoria about this incident’.When The Namibian approached ya Nangoloh for comment, he claimed that the Botswana authorities had ‘simply arrested them (the refugees) to shut them up because of the hunger strike. Otherwise they would have arrested them three months ago.’He said no law of any country allowed for arrest on the grounds of a hunger strike, adding that the ‘inhuman conditions’ against which the group was striking included being housed in only one tent for all 41 refugees for the entire three months, having to sleep on the floor despite the rain, snakes and other dangers, and having no ablution facilities at their disposal.Ya Nangoloh also said that about a month ago, the members of the group were interviewed by the UNHCR and authorities in Botswana, and that they had their pictures taken. He added, however, that there had been suspicion on the part of the refugees that the Botswana authorities wanted to deport them to DRC, which he said would be in contravention with international human rights law.’If Botswana didn’t want to take them in, it should have given them free passage to go to any country. Botswana is obliged to look after them since that country was their first country of call,’ ya Nangoloh said, adding that Botswana could not legally return the refugees to Namibia or the DRC.’NOT HERE’When The Namibian made a call to the Ghanzi District Police station yesterday afternoon and enquired about the refugees, it was immediately referred to the Charleshill Police Station, which the official said is situated seven kilometres from the Mamuno Border Post.But staff at Charleshill were reluctant to provide information when asked on what grounds the group had been arrested.They denied any knowledge of the refugees being held at the small station.Several attempts to contact any of the refugees on the five cellphone numbers that The Namibian has for them proved futile.Botswana Police Service spokesperson Christopher Mbulawa could also not be reached, with officials explaining that yesterday was a national holiday. Botswana yesterday celebrated 43 years of independence. Calls to the Botswana High Commission to Namibia and to the UNHCR country office in Botswana all went unanswered. When contacted for comment, UNHCR Representative for Namibia Joyce Mends-Cole said she was not aware of the group’s arrest. She said that her office was still waiting to hear from the Botswana authorities whether or not the group would be given refugee status in that country.nangula@namibian.com.na