Angola Botswana Comoros Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Swaziland Zambia a Somali Man Keeps Warm in a Makeshift Refugee
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Angola Botswana Comoros Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Swaziland Zambia A Somali man keeps warm in a makeshift refugee Zimbabwe camp north of Pretoria, South Africa UNHCR / J. OATWAY 110 UNHCR Global Report 2008 l UNHCR facilitated the reintegration of displaced steady mixed movement to South Africa continued due to foreigners, including refugees and asylum-seekers, into the dramatic deterioration in social, economic and local communities in South Africa after xenophobic attacks humanitarian conditions. erupted in May 2008. The attacks claimed the lives of 62 l UNHCR assisted 350 Congolese refugees from people and, according to official statistics, displaced 46,000 Mozambique to return home in 2008. others. However, only a few hundred displaced people l The UNHCR Offices in the subregion referred more remained in temporary shelters by the end of the year. than 1,340 people for resettlement, and some 560 refugees l Though there was no sudden and mass outflow of departed for various third countries in 2008. Zimbabwean refugees to neighbouring countries, the UNHCR Global Report 2008 111 Zambia to adopt the legal frameworks needed to facilitate access to this durable solution. The protracted political stalemate and the socio-economic Following the outbreak of xenophobic violence against crisis in Zimbabwe prompted many Zimbabweans to leave foreigners in South Africa, as well as the mixed outflow of for South Africa. Once there, many registered as Zimbabweanstothecountry,UNHCR’sRegionalOfficein asylum-seekers, allowing them to legalize their stay and seek Pretoria (RO Pretoria) devoted much of its attention and employment in South Africa. A far greater number, resources toward meeting the needs of the displaced however, remained undocumented and without legal status. population. By the end of 2008, the majority had returned Thepresenceofalargenumberofforeignersatatimeof to local communities, although many continued to economic slowdown in South Africa and the general public’s experience problems with reintegration and a few hundred negative perceptions of refugees and asylum-seekers posed a persons remained in temporary sites established for the serious challenge. They underscored the need to address the displaced. root causes of anti-foreigner sentiment and to review The huge challenges in South Africa taxed the capacity of immigration policies. RO Pretoria, hampered its regional support functions and Progress on the local integration of refugees in the region slowed progress in meeting some objectives. Despite these was slower than anticipated as governments focused on constraints, UNHCR trained more than 100 employees of difficult domestic challenges, such as high unemployment governments and implementing partners in Botswana, rates among their own nationals. Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia to conduct registration both in emergencies and continuous asylum environments. While the organized repatriation of Angolan refugees In 2008, UNHCR in Southern Africa provided technical ended in 2007, new opportunities emerged to bring home support and guidance to governments in the region to enable some of the remaining Angolan refugees in the region, them to properly conduct refugee status determination and particularly from Zambia, Namibia and Botswana,. The handle registration, documentation and data management Angolan Government affirmed its readiness to welcome the for refugees and asylum-seekers. This support aided remaining Angolan refugees home and a series of tripartite government authorities in clearing backlogs of pending meetings with neighbouring countries and UNHCR were refugee status applications and gradually assuming scheduled to take place in order to prepare for the return. responsibility for registration. With a view to increasing the UNHCR’s care and maintenance programmes for availability of local integration, UNHCR encouraged the camp-based refugees in Southern Africa sustained their Governments of Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and well-being, while the search for durable solutions continued. 112 UNHCR Global Report 2008 The developed economy in South Africa and the deteriorating socio-economic situation in neighbouring Zimbabwe propelled mixed migratory movements into South Africa in 2008, creating social tensions that contributed to the xenophobic violence and widespread displacement of foreigners. Similar migratory movements were observed in Angola, whose oil-based economy boomed and achieved one of the world’s highest growth rates in 2008. The absence of a well-defined government policy framework and existing legislative restrictions on local integration hampered efforts to achieve solutions for refugees in the region. UNHCR’soperationsin and are reported in separate chapters. At the end of 2008, hosted some 12,700 refugees, of whom 11,900 were from the DRC and had been in the country since the late 1970s. Progress towards the naturalization of these Congolese refugees was minimal With the Malawi Government’s reservations concerning during 2008, primarily due to the Government’s refugees’ right to work and to exercise freedom of movement preoccupation with the parliamentary elections held in within its borders, prospects for local integration remained September. More than 3,100 asylum-seekers from 24 other minimal. In 2008, UNHCR and its partners increased the countries were also awaiting decisions on their applications number of information campaigns on voluntary for refugee status in Angola. A working visit of government repatriation. A total of 100 refugees and asylum-seekers officials to Portugal was organized by UNHCR to help them repatriated voluntarily to Rwanda and Burundi. Thirty-two gain further insight into management practices when Congolese registered for repatriation. Moreover, 39 refugees dealing with refugees and asylum-seekers. UNHCR also departed for resettlement during the year and more than 350 provided technical support to the Government to help it were waiting to do so. revise the law on refugees and, after the elections, reactivate Government statistics showed that there were more than the tripartite mechanism to discuss the renewed repatriation 7,600 refugees and asylum-seekers in at the end of Angolans from the neighbouring countries. of 2008. Of these, some 4,870 lived in Maratane camp, the Of the 3,120 refugees in , some 930 were from only refugee camp in the country. Most originated from Namibia, 800 from Zimbabwe, 510 from Somalia, 490 from Burundi, the DRC and Rwanda. A number had lived in Angola and the rest from other countries. The majority of refugee camps in Malawi, the United Republic of Tanzania, refugees lived in Dukwi camp. The Botswana Government Zambia and elsewhere in the region before reaching and UNHCR agreed that local integration would be an Mozambique. Assistance in crop production was given to appropriate durable solution for many of the Angolan some 600 refugee families and another 77 families were refugees in the country, and UNHCR continued to help the provided with loans for animal husbandry. As a result, some Government advance the process. Most of the Zimbabweans 1,800 refugees in the camp (or 38 per cent) only require half arrived in the country in 2008 and were relatively quickly of the normal food ration and the rest became self-reliant. recognized as refugees by the Government. Meanwhile, almost 360 refugees and asylum-seekers Through UNDP,12 refugees in were given repatriated voluntarily to their home countries and 83 were material and legal assistance and two refugees in referred to third countries for resettlement. In response to received a monthly allowance. Five of these refugees were the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe, UNHCR referred to resettlement countries for consideration. In established a temporary presence in Tete, Manica and Gaza , UNHCR intervened on behalf of six Iraqi provinces to monitor developments in the border area and nationals who were arrested in November 2008 for being in provide humanitarian assistance. While Zimbabweans possession of false passports. They were interviewed by crossed the border back and forth mostly for economic UNHCR and were found to be in need of international reasons, some had protection concens and 141 of them protection. approached UNHCR and the Government in search of hosted some 4,200 refugees and 6,500 asylum. asylum-seekers, primarily from Rwanda, the DRC and In December 2008, the population of concern to UNHCR Burundi, at the end of 2008. These figures did not include in was about 8,250, including some 6,800 refugees the people from the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia and Somalia) and 450 asylum-seekers. Of them, some 5,920 were from who claimed asylum but did not stay in the country long Angola, 1,750 from the DRC, 270 from Burundi and 180 from enough to have their claims adjudicated, presumably Rwanda. The majority lived in Osire camp, while some 1,400 transiting onward toward South Africa. Of the refugees and resided in urban areas. In 2008, 17 Congolese, two Angolans asylum-seekers, some 9,400 lived at Dzaleka refugee camp and one Somali repatriated voluntarily to their respective and the rest in urban areas. home countries, while 15 refugees departed for resettlement UNHCR Global Report 2008 113 in third countries. For the majority of Angolan refugees, resettlement and 74 left Zimbabwe for resettlement in third voluntary repatriation is seen as the main durable solution, countries. UNHCR also played an active role in the though UNHCR also advocated