Refugees seek Khama's help

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Wednesday July 14, 2010 00:00

 

In a statement to Khama, the asylum seekers blamed the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for their plight. The asylum seekers are from countries like Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. They claim that some of them have been in the country for up to 12 years. 'We are approximately 45 in this category.  We are not allowed to work, we are not allowed to leave Dukwi Refugee Camp and thus no freedom of movement.  We are not allowed to enrol for tertiary education and we are not allowed to question UNHCR on our future.'

The asylum seekers said some of them have had their applications for refugee status rejected thrice by the government. 'According to the Universal Rights, UNHCR was supposed to have helped us but to date we do not know where our future lies.  We cannot go back to our home countries for fear of losing our lives.  Botswana doesn't want us on its soil and UNHCR, which is supposed to help us, is unwilling to do so.  We don't know where we belong, our future is at stake.  Actually even birds are better than us,' the asylum seekers stated.

They said that they have been experiencing hardship during their stay in the country and out of desperation, some of them have resorted to crime. 'Some people have lost their lives, whilst others have been imprisoned. With such bad experiences, we have no more interest in Botswana and thus the only solution is getting a third county of asylum.  We don't want anything to do with the Botswana status.  More than 10 years is enough, we are too tired of this country,' they said.  'We have made many attempts to try and communicate our grievances to the Minister of Justice, Defence and Security but all our efforts have been blocked and similar efforts were made to reach the President but we were blocked. 

Recently we wrote a letter to the President and the minister but still we have a feeling that the blockage still exists.''We feel there is an improper managing of refugees affairs by the authenticated officers under the Ministry of Justice, Defence and Security.  We believe that the officers under this ministry are also co-benefitters (sic) in our overstaying in this country just like former and current UNHCR officials.  UNHCR, as one of the implementers of Universal Rights, to our surprise, is the violator of the very rights they are supposed to be protecting.  How will such rights be respected?'

'We are always tossed around between UNHCR and the offices administering refugees affairs under the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security.  When we go to the government officers, we are told that the government has done (sic) its final decision on our cases and that we should go to UNHCR for help but when we go to UNHCR, we are told that the government has not pressurised them enough to help us,' the refugees said.

'Since we cannot go back  home, we cry to you, Your Excellency President Khama, with the help of Article 15 sub article 2 which states that - no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied right to change his nationality - to help us by enforcing the respected laws of this country,' the refugees plead.

However, UNHCR Protection Assistant, Madoda Nasha has responded that the rejected asylum seekers do not meet the stipulated requirements for refugee status. He said if they seek refugee status, they have to fall within the framework of the Convention and Protocol on Refugees.  He insisted that they cannot re-settle an asylum seeker in a third country when the person does not fall within the framework. He said the asylum seekers had their applications rejected by the Refugee Advisory Committee because they do not meet the requirements. He said UNHCR sits on the committee and in some cases they recommend rejection. 'We don't only recommend cases to be accepted but even to be rejected,' he said. The last review meeting of rejected cases was held in 2008,' he explained. Nasha said it was not true that they are not doing anything to assist the asylum seekers.

He said once an application for refugee status has been rejected, the applicant is supposed to be an illegal immigrant but Botswana has been lenient on the asylum seekers.

Meanwhile, Ross Sanoto, deputy permanent secretary for Political Affairs in the Office of the President says that the issue of the asylum seekers is a difficult one. 'After September 11, countries that would normally accept or reject asylum seekers now became reluctant to do so.  The UNHCR depended on the benevolence of those countries. There is now no leeway for the UNHCR,' he said. Sanoto said the asylum seekers should individually make it a point to see the Dukwi Refugee Camp commandant who should take up their matter.