Refugees 'denied' entry

Source: The Namibian - Theresia Tjihenuna, 19/08/2015

THREE Burundian men who were allegedly denied entry into Namibia where
they wanted to seek asylum, are understood to have been detained in
Zambia.


Their ages are not known.

According to sources, about 30 people enter Namibia monthly to seek
refuge, while Osire, the only refugee camp in the country, currently
has more than 6 000 registered occupants.



Although The Namibian could not establish when the Burundians were
denied entry, sources at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration
said this happened last month.



The sources said the three came through Katima Mulilo border post but
were turned back and Special Field Force officers then took them to
the Zambian side where they were arrested as illegal immigrants.



A source at the Legal Assistance Centre, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, confirmed that a concerned relative studying in Namibia had
lodged a complaint at their offices.



The Namibian called the brother to verify the claims but he denied
that he had approached the legal centre.



The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative in
Namibia, Festus Hamukwaya, yesterday said he also received the
complaint about the Burundians, but could not confirm it with the
police. "If indeed something like that happened, then it is a serious
violation of human rights. I will need to take it up with the
authorities at the ministry," he said.



Zambezi regional police commander Boniface Mukendwa denied any
knowledge of the Burundians, saying such a case was never brought to
his attention. Mukendwa further said, in fact, the police had
transported eleven refugees to Osire recently.


Katima Mulilo chief immigration officer Selma Mutafela also denied any
knowledge of the Burundians.



"We also received a call from the Office of the Ombudsman inquiring
about the case of three Burundians but we told them there was no such
case at our office," Mutafela said.



The Namibian further understands that an unidentified number of women
and children was also being kept at holding cells at the Kongola
Police Station near Katima Mulilo a week ago because immigration
claimed they had no transport for them.



The acting commissioner for refugees at the home affairs ministry,
Josephine Nghimtina, denied the allegations, saying the government was
doing all it could to accommodate refugees.



"We are really trying our best. I do not know whether they want us to
treat them as special or what. We have the means and capacity to
accommodate them and whoever is saying otherwise is not being
truthful," she said.


Nghimtina said she was aware of the case of women and children who
were held in police cells but said it was only a temporary arrangement
while they waited for transport.



Human rights lawyer Norman Tjombe said there was also a case of a
Ugandan refugee who was recently deported in violation of a court
order, specifically prohibiting his deportation.



"Fortunately, with the intervention of the United Nations, he was
brought back to Namibia and his application for refugee status was
then considered in accordance with the law," he said.



Tjombe said with fewer refugees coming to Namibia, the country was
experiencing few cases of this nature.


"However, we need to remain vigilant to ensure that Namibia maintains
only the highest standards of respect for human rights to all,
including refugees who seek our protection," he said.



This comes just two months after the UNHCR closed its operations in
the country, saying the Namibian government was now able to handle the
remaining refugees on its own.



Hamukwaya said despite such reports, Namibia has a good record of
human rights as far as refugees were concerned.