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.
