Police arrest 'troublesome' refugees
Gothataone Moeng | Thursday March 13, 2014 18:13
Timothy Yamin (42), Peter Muganga and Musa Mohammed Isabirye (both 35) last Thursday embarked on a sit-in to protest what they described as terrible living conditions at the Dukwi Refugee Centre.
Station commander for Central Police Superintendent Modisaotsile Bonang yesterday confirmed that the three men are in custody. He said they have been detained for travelling out of the refugee camp without a permit. He said the men face no charges, but have been detained pending the relevant ministries’ decision about their fate.
Ross Sanoto from the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security told Mmegi yesterday that two of them would likely be detained at the Centre for Illegal Immigrants before being returned to the refugee camp. The third man, who the ministry claims is an illegal immigrant, is the responsibility of the Immigration department, Sanoto said. Last week, Samma Tabudi, PRO in the Ministry of Defence said steps were already in place to have him deported. The three men last week swore to sit peacefully at the UN building, which houses the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), until a permanent solution is found for their problems. The refugees said they want the UNHCR to facilitate their resettlement to other countries or allow them to be naturalised so they can find jobs to provide for their families.
The country’s Refugee (Recognition and Control) Act does not provide for the naturalisation of refugees, no matter how long they stay in the country. All three have been in the country for over 10 years.
According to the refugees, the reservations that Botswana made when it signed a 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, which strictly enforces encampment (and not integration into general society) excludes them from working, a sentiment confirmed by the UNHCR. “The encampment policy is strictly enforced, compromising the ability of refugees to earn a living and leaving them dependant on assistance. Refugees found outside the camp without valid permits can be detained for long periods,” the UNHCR says on their website. However, Sanoto says refugees are allowed to work provided they have skills that are needed in Botswana, and that their skills are not for jobs reserved for locals. The men said they would like to seek employment because the food and clothing provisions they get from the government are inadequate. They also contested their inability as refugees to leave the camp at will, their inability to work and what they said is a limited right to education. The refugees say voluntary repatriation back to Uganda is not an option, as they fear imprisonment or even death were they to go back.
Last week, the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security dismissed the issues raised by the three men as attempts to coerce the government and the UNHCR to pursue the men’s demands for resettlement.
Sanoto said yesterdaythat the men who are complaining about inadequate provisions do not even live in the camp and do not know what the situation is like.
He however, further explained that they are dependent on donations for the clothes they provide to all refugees at the Dukwi camp. The provision of clothes is therefore done as and when the donated clothes are available.