LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) is urging President Lazarus Chakwera to direct Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale-Ngoma to stop victimising fellow Africans under the guise of implementing laws and regulations governing refugees and asylum seekers.
Addressing the news conference on Friday, June 2, 2023 in the capital Lilongwe, CDEDI observes that its strange that while countries such as Kenya are welcoming fellow Africans by removing visa restrictions.
“Malawi Government is doing the opposite by arbitrarily revoking citizenships for industrious fellow Africans who, in their own small way, are making positive contributions towards healing the Macountry’s ailing economy.
“A case in point is what we witnessed recently when government hunted down like rats refugees and asylum seekers who included children, pregnant women,
and even the sick, shoving them into trucks to Maula Prison in Lilongwe without food and proper beddings amid harsh weather conditions”, says CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa.
Namiwa adds, “This, coupled with allegations that the same government is revoking the refugees and asylum seekers’ citizenship without any good reason, is very disturbing.
“Government’s current stance and conduct on these people is not only suspicious but, also, leaves one fearing that maybe the Malawi Government has a hidden agenda against Rwandans and Burundis”.
Therefore, in the spirit of Ubuntu, CDEDI wishes to implore President Chakwera to listen to the humble voice of reason and intervene by rescinding his government’s decision to revoke the citizenship of the 396 refugees andasylum seekers whose papers were processed.
Meanwhile, CDEDI is informing Malawians that it has written the Minister of Homeland Security demanding the list of the affected naturalised citizens and
proof of prior communication indicating reasons for the revocation of their status.
“Additionally, CDEDI is reminding government that Malawians have a right to know how much has been spent on the relocation exercise of the refugees and
asylum seekers.
“Besides, Malawians would also like to know in whose interest is government harassing these fellow Africans, especially those from Burundi and Rwanda?”.
He added, “It is equally worth pointing out that as government is busy bundling refugees and asylum seekers and dumping them in prisons in transit to the congested Dzakela Refugee Camp, it committed itself to the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework and also pledged at the Global Refugee Forum in
December 2019 to incorporate refugee matters into its national development agenda, reform the legal and policy framework, cover registration and documentation of refugees, enhance refugee status determination and support the self-reliance of refugees through increased livelihood activities.
“Given the above commitments, what is happening on the ground is a classic example of the Malawi Government’s policy inconsistency that has culminated
into outright appetite for torturing fellow Africans helplessly yearning for a safe and better living”.
Chakwera is yet comment on matter amid international organisation outcry.
