Churches oppose deportation of Namibian refugees

Aluta continua: BCC officials and some of the refugees during the court hearing on Monday. PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Aluta continua: BCC officials and some of the refugees during the court hearing on Monday. PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

The Botswana Council of Churches (BCC) is opposing the repatriation of more than 900 Namibian refugees, saying the decision was reached in haste.

The mainline churches’ organisation says a Tripartite Commission Report for the Go-and-See Come-and-Tell Mission, on which the repatriation decision was based, was left incomplete and aborted. The churches were part of the Botswana government and UNHCR mission in June and July, 2015 which sought to establish whether Namibia was safe for the refugees to return.

On Monday, members of the BCC were at the Lobatse High Court in support of the refugees’ application to halt their possible deportation. The court temporarily halted the deportation, which was a possibility after the Namibians’ refugee status expired on December 31.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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