Refugees population hits 39 000 at Dzaleka: Minister Dausi says ‘situation under control’
The Dzaleka Refugee Camp is at the verge of bursting point following reports that it is now sheltering over 25 000 additional people despite the fact that it is meant for 1 400, a development management has described as alarming.
Nyasa Times has learnt that the present population at the camp is now at 39 000.
The camp’s manager, Patricia Sinoya, said the situation is making the handling of the pressing population difficult.
According to Sinoya, there are a number of challenges at the facility including issues of accomodation.
“Government must quickly intervene and always be conscious of the happenings at the camp in the their programmes,” said Sinoya.
Sinoya said the camp, which was established in 1994, harbours people from Buruni, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“The majority of them are Congolese with a population of 24 000,” said Sinoya.
She added that the influx of refugees getting into the country is alarming saying last December alone, 150 asylum seekers were added to the facility.
But Minister of Homeland Security Nicholas Dausi while agreeing with Sinoya said the “situation was under control.”
He said: “Every problem has a solution. Government will look into the issues and address them.”
Dzaleka Refugee Camp, which sits on a 201 hectare piece of land, was a political prison before it was turned into its current use.
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These are fellow Africans why should they be in refugee camps in their own continent? AU needs to move and transform fast and abolish these colonial borders. What are we doing to ourselves Africans? Let’s see things beyond our noses..we are enslaving ourselves bcoz they divided us thru these borders. One Africa, one economy. Now Now Now!!
good idea mr.moya
Ku Rwanda ndi ku Burundi nkhondo inatha. Send these people back to their countries ASAP
@Ida it seems like you don’t follow what is happening in the region. No one is in Dzaleka because it is the right place to be. I can tell you more if you wish because I spent the first 27 years of my life in 5 refugee camps including Dzaleka.
hello Mr. Magambi
like the way youhave responded to ida.
regards,
Emmanuel.
That’s very alarming.These friends are supposed to learn the issue of birth controls.Healthy people should also be serious with this problem because this can prlurely lead to deforestation and this can affect our environment.The number of refugees in our country should be more than a million because others are kept illegally in some other areas This is because our boarders are porus.We have the scarcity of land and you find that foreigners are the ones having vast land.Govt should look into this problem with seriousness.Don’t just say things are in control yet you are doing nothing.Lets be serious in correcting… Read more »