UNHCR is realigning its program in Botswana and will be phasing down its operations as of the end of June 2016, said Tina Ghelli, Senior Regional External Relations Officer with the UNHCR Regional Office for Southern Africa.
Dukwi Refugee Camp, situated some 530km northwest of Botswana’s capital city Gaborone, was first established around the late 70s and early 80s when Zimbabweans were crossing into Botswana in large numbers while running away from the guerilla warfare against the Ian Douglas Smith regime.
An estimated 2,851 refugees remain at the camp. And about 928 refugees from Botswana’s northwestern neighbor, Namibia are expected to return to their native country anytime soon following the cessation clause of their refugees’ status which was instituted last year March.
“As the number of refugees in Botswana have found a durable solution, either through voluntary repatriation or resettlement to a third country, the number of refugees at Dukwi Refugee Camp has decreased by 40 percent,” Ghelli told Xinhua.
Ghelli said similar approaches have been taken in a number of UNHCR offices globally where governments have strengthened their response to refugees.
For example, UNHCR ended its presence in Lesotho following the end of apartheid when most South Africans returned home.
And most recently in Namibia in which they ended its presence in the country at the end of December last year after most of the Angolan refugees who were in Namibia returned home or were granted alternative status, she said.
“This is the same in Botswana where the government has demonstrated its ability to ensure the legal and social protection of refugees. UNHCR will continue to provide support for various programs aimed assisting refugees,” she said.
The official revealed that UHNCR is changing its presence to a national office, thus the commission will maintain a physical existence in the country and will provide additional support from UNHCR’s regional office for Southern Africa based in Pretoria. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
