By Chrispine Lwanja:
Minister of Homeland Security Kenneth Zikhale Ng’oma has assured the general public that his ministry will do everything possible to relocate refugees and asylum seekers back to Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa.
Ng’oma made the remarks on Tuesday during a meeting with Small Scale Business Operators Association that took place at Capital Hill.
Ng’oma said laws need to be followed when relocating asylum seekers and refugees back to Dzaleka.
According to Ng’oma his ministry will champion a head count for refugees and asylum seekers to assess the number of refugees who are in the country.
“As a country we do not know the number of refugees and asylum seekers we have in the country, so we will conduct a head count for those who have a refugee status and those who do not have,” Ng’oma said.
Ng’oma further stressed that security agencies under his ministry are ready to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers return to the camp.
The minister further stressed that there are no excuses to stop the relocation exercise.
“Refugees and asylum seekers are supposed to be in the camp and those who do not have that status are criminals and we will flush them out.
My role is to protect refugees and not criminals who have come in the country without proper channels. We gave them ample time to voluntarily go back to Dzaleka, but they are failing, as such we will act the way we perceive best,” he explained.
On his part Secretary General for Small Scale Business Operators Association of Malawi, Tenson Mulimbula expressed optimism that government will indeed relocate refugees and asylum seekers.
Mulimbula added that the allocation of special funds for the exercise shows government’s commitment on the matter.
Meanwhile, Ng’oma has warned the citizenry not to take the law in their own hands, adding that the exercise will be carried out by relevant agencies; namely, Malawi Police Service, Immigration Department and National Registration Bureau (NRB).
The Ministry of Homeland Security on 27th March 2023, gave asylum seekers and refugees a 15 day ultimatum to voluntarily go back to Dzaleka Refugee Camp.
