By Clever Mwale:
Four months after the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that it would be forced to stop food assistance for more than 50,000 refugees at Dzaleka Refugee Camp by the end of June 2026 due to funding shortages, the government is yet to publicly explain how it intends to respond to the looming humanitarian crisis.
The uncertainty comes a year after the government reportedly initiated discussions on repatriating refugees following funding cuts affecting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
A senior Ministry of Homeland Security official told The Daily Times in May 2025 that Malawi was engaging Rwanda and other countries on possible repatriation because the country could not continue carrying the burden of hosting refugees without donor support.
- Advertisement -
In February, WFP Country Director Hyoung-Joon Lim said funding available to the agency would only sustain refugee assistance through June 2026.
- Advertisement -
However, with June ending next week, the government has not publicly outlined a contingency plan for Dzaleka.
The Ministry of Homeland Security was not available to clarify the government’s preparedness as its spokesperson, Joseph Chauwa, did not respond to our questionnaire despite repeated follow-ups.
Parliament’s Defence and Security Committee has warned that government may soon be forced to shoulder the burden of supporting thousands of refugees if donor funding dries up completely.
Chairperson of the committee, Monica Chang’anamuno, said information presented to the committee indicates that existing support is expected to last only until August.
- Advertisement -
“Now with the economic challenges the country is facing, there is a need for high level decisions on the future of the camp and whether to continue receiving new arrivals,” said Chang’anamuno.
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) Executive Director Michael Kaiyatsa warned that the termination of food assistance could trigger serious humanitarian and human rights consequences.
He said many refugees are already living in vulnerable conditions and depend heavily on humanitarian support for survival, warning that hunger and desperation could push some refugees into harmful coping mechanisms.
“This could lead some refugees to turn to negative coping mechanisms such as early marriage, prostitution, child labour and other risky behaviours,” he said.
According to UN officials, many refugees in Dzaleka have no viable means of supporting themselves because Malawi’s refugee policy restricts access to employment opportunities outside the camp.
Human Rights Watch researcher Idriss Nassah said the current crisis cannot be separated from the government’s controversial enforcement of the encampment policy in 2023, which saw police and military intervention.
Nassah said many of those affected lost businesses, jobs and property during the exercise, leaving thousands dependent on humanitarian assistance calling restrictions on freedom of movement, employment and education “incompatible with international human rights and refugee law standards”.
“Human Rights Watch calls on Malawi to modify its national refugee law accordingly to end the forced encampment policy.” said Nassah.
According to UNHCR, Malawi is currently hosting about 53,000 refugees and asylum seekers, most of them at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa District, which was originally designed to accommodate about 12,000 people.
