By Vincent Gunde
DOWA-(MaraviPost)-The Millennium Information and Resource Centre (MIRECE), has expressed concerns over more Ethiopian nationals coming at the Dzaleka Refugees Camp in Dowa district wondering if they have refugees status in Malawi.
MIRECE observes that at Dzaleka Camp, there are more of Ethiopian nationals mostly the youth speaking for itself that are not running away from wars in their country but taking Malawi as a transit route to either South Africa or Australia for greener pastures.
MIRECE Director Reverend Flywell Somanje has since asked government to explain to Malawians the refugee treaties the government of Malawi signed with Ethiopia on immigration status on nationals
Rev. Somanje said his organization already wrote the UNHCR about refugees at Dzaleka on whether are in Malawi to stay for good or temporary observed that the UNHCR have built decent houses for refugees adjacent to Katubza primary school located at the heart of Dzaleka camp.
He claimed that refugees are grabbing land from the host communities in exchange for money making poor land owners with nowhere to cultivate crops and many of them are facing hunger waiting for government and organizations to provide them with free food.
The Director said till to date UNHCR has not responded back to the concerns it raised in its letter making them to suspect that government and the UNHCR signed a secret treaty whose contents cannot be disclosed and this is also applying to Ethiopian nationals at Dzaleka camp.
“Ethiopian Airline has taken over the space of Air Malawi for business between Malawi and Ethiopia, people and all relevant stake holders must be consulted for any government policy, this minimizes noise,” said Reverend Somanje.
Malawi and Ethiopia have been friends and signing treaties since 1964, Ethiopia has never been colonized by the colonizers.
It has been a standing alone nation with no reports of wars making people to flee the country into Malawi through Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
On August 2, 1965 Emperor Haile Selassie made a historic visit to Malawi, the first President of Malawi, Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda had to take off his hat as a sigh of respect addressing him as King of Kings, Lion of Judah, a great soldier, a great fighter, a great statesman and above all, a great friend and lover of Malawi.
