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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter—
SADC member countries should be wary of criminals who pretend to be refugees seeking asylum in other States while fleeing criminal acts in their countries of origin. This came out during the third Ministerial Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (Midsa) which ended here on Friday, with the adoption of the strategic action plan by ministers responsible for migration.
The strategic plan, termed the Southern Africa Strategic Plan of Action, will address mixed and irregular migration, amid concerns of rising mass displacements in the world, with children being the most affected. Delegates said the rate of criminal activity by “refugees” was worrying.
The matter was raised by a Namibian delegate, who said some refugees were engaging in criminal activity.
“There should be provisions to guard against those who would have committed crime and want to seek refuge elsewhere. Some criminals may want refugee status to cover up for their crimes. These should be sent back to their countries so they can be arrested,” said a delegate from the DRC.
He added: “There are genuine people running away from abuse but criminals can’t be given the same privileges.”
Another delegate from Botswana said: “As people responsible for Home Affairs we should be seen protecting real refugees and not criminals.
“We’ve extradition treaties which empower police to deal with such criminals. As much as we’re thinking about how to come up with the best policy, we should be wary of criminals who masquerade as refugees.”
Former Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, who was Sadc ministers responsible for migration chair, said the best way was to screen every migrant to establish their backgrounds.
“Let me concur with my comrades from Botswana and DRC, when refugees come to your country, screen them in collaboration with Interpol. That way you’ll get to know if one is on the Interpol wanted list,” said Minister Mohadi.
He urged member states to check the status of every migrant to see if they were genuine refugees.
“I’m not saying everything will be watertight because some people carry fake identity documents, which is why you should trace everyone to their countries of origin,” said Minister Mohadi.
After being briefed on the draft document, the ministers and representatives of ministers from Angola, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Namibia, Tanzania, Swaziland and Zambia said the implementation of the strategic plan should be immediate.
They however, said implementation was dependent on the budget and ability by member states to raise the required $14 million for the policy.
The ministers agreed to adopt the document and signed it, saying it would be a yardstick for Sadc policy making with regards to migration.
“This is our document. Let it be polished then we adopt it so it becomes our benchmark,” said Minister Mohadi as he closed the conference.
In his official address earlier, Minister Mohadi called for regional cooperation in the protection of unaccompanied migrant children.
He said most of the children trafficked are pushed by poverty, death of parents, and lack of access to income and services resulting in them migrating unaccompanied thereby exposing them to abuse.
The theme for the conference was: “Addressing mixed and irregular migration in Southern Africa: The protection of unaccompanied migrant child.”
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said one in every seven people in the world is involved in some form of migration.
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