Asylum seekers sent back to camp

Bulawayo Bureau
Thirty-six Congolese asylum seekers and five others from Burundi who were intercepted at the Plumtree Border Post have been transported back to Tongogara Refugee Camp in Manicaland where they had escaped after being denied asylum status.

The 36 Congolese, who comprised adults and children, were intercepted on last Saturday night, while the Burundis made up of two adults, a teenager and two minors aged five and seven years, were arrested on Thursday night.

They were arrested while trying to use an illegal point to enter Botswana.

Both groups fled from Tongogara Refugee Camp after they were denied asylum status and were waiting to be deported to their respective countries.

Matabeleland South Provincial Social Services Department Officer Totamirepi Tirivavi said a bus had been organised to take all the refugees back to the camp.

He said from there they would be allowed to appeal to the relevant ministry since they had been denied asylum status.

“We have organised a bus that will collect the refugees from the Plumtree reception and support centre,” said Mr Tirivavi. They will be taken back to Tongogara Refugee Camp where they escaped.

“Inasfar as deporting them is concerned, that is the responsibility of the Department of Immigration. However, the refugees can appeal since they were denied asylum.

A Social Services Department officer in Plumtree who preferred anonymity said the immigrants had indicated that they had fled their respective countries to seek refuge from wars prevailing there and hunger.

The officer said the refugees comprised children who had lost their parents.

Some of the immigrants had their homes and property destroyed while others had their relatives killed in their presence during the civil unrest, said the officer. The Social Services Department officer said the refugees had indicated that they were not keen to return to their respective countries, which explains why they fled from the refugee camp.

“The refugees are of different age groups.

“Some are children who have lost their parents while others are people who have lost their spouses. Others are families who are fleeing the instability in their countries.

“A number of them have indicated that they do not have any valuables with them or back in their countries as they have lost their homes and property. Some of them are terrified because their loved ones were murdered while they watched while others have suffered torture,” he said.