Malawi Govt warns stubborn refugees on returning to residential areas

Malawi Government has warned stubborn refugees who are going back to residential areas after they were forcibly relocated to Dzaleka refugee camp that they risk having their refugee status revoked and deportation.

Principal secretary in the ministry of Homeland Security Oliver Kumbambe has told the parliamentary committee on Defence on Wednesday in Lilongwe that the government would also revoke the refugee status of the refugees who return to residential areas.

“Once their refugee status is revoked, they will be deported,” he said.

Kumbambe also said the mapping exercise for  refugees living outside Dzaleka Camp managed to identify 2000 refugees.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) earlier estimated that there were about 8000 refugees living outside the camp.

He said out of the 2000 refugees,  government has managed to relocate 1972 to the camp.

He added that some refugees who were living outside the camp ended up leaving the country for Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa.

However he said the mapping exercise is still going on and government will relocate all those found living outside the camp.