The government has recently been on a campaign to relocate refugees from towns, where some had been operating businesses, to their designated Dzaleka Refugee Camp. According to Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale N’goma, some of these have criminal records and have been sent back to their respective countries to face the law. However, there are revelations that some local officials are capitalising on the situation to illegally demand money from some refugees so that the refugees can have ‘authentic’ documents to settle in Europe as asylums seekers.
A syndicate has been exposed involving some officials from the government and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) who have allegedly been receiving bribes from refugees in exchange for the refugees to have authentic documents for them to settle in some European countries.
The revelation has been made after a deal for one refugee and his family, Burundi national Protais Kamana, failed to materialise after he allegedly paid K60 million to the officials to facilitate the resettlement plan.
His coming to Malawi was facilitated by one of the refugees, who has been living at Dzaleka Camp for many years, but Kamana’s trip ended up in one of the hotels in Lilongwe.
Kamana arrived in the country in February this year and engaged some government officials to facilitate the deal but six months later, he found himself at Dzaleka Camp after the said officials duped him out of all his money.
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“I paid the money because the officials promised that they would process my resettlement documents in Europe,” Kamana said in an interview at Dzaleka Refugee Camp yesterday.
Kamana said he has officially lodged a complaint to the Commissioner for Refugees in the Department of Refugees under the Ministry of Homeland Security and also to the police.
Kamana’s issue is in court in Dowa, and hearing of the matter is expected to take place on August 28.
According to the information that we have gathered, one officer implicated in the saga is said to be working at Area 3 Department of Refugees and another one is at the Ministry of Homeland Security in Lilongwe
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This is just one of the many cases of refugees being duped at Dzaleka Refugee Camp.
Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma confirmed that the ministry has received reports of officers from the ministry and UNHCR being implicated in corruption in exchange for resettlement of refugees.
Ng’oma said the ministry is already investigating the reports and that decisive measures will be taken against the officers that will be caught in the process.
“We are aware of this terrible incident and many others involving some individuals; we are getting to the bottom of this and will act immediately,” Zikhale- Ng’oma said.
He said the racket on resettlement of refugees abroad has been going on for some time, with foreign and local officials involved promising these refugees better lives in Europe or Australia for a fee, adding that this is clear corruption.
When contacted on the phone, UNHCR country representative Modeste Koume, who did not confirm or deny the issue, told Malawi News to officially go to his office, saying some issues could not be discussed on the phone.
Commissioner for Refugees in Malawi, General Ignacio Maulana (retired), has separately confirmed the development.
“I am aware. The details we could afford to gather were handed over to Police Headquarters for their perusal and further action,” Maulana said
Refugee rights advocate and chief executive officer for Anua Advocacy, Innocent Magambi, said he is aware of the Kanama issue but refused to give more details on the incident as the matter is in court.
“Kamana might be among many victims of fraudulent schemes that are happening at the camp,” Magambi said.
He bemoaned corruption by government officials and UNHCR officials, which, he said, is rampant at the camp to the extent that his office receives approximately 20 cases per year related to fraud and corruption.
He said it is difficult to have cases involving refugees resolved in good time adding that such cases take years or are even forgotten.
A mapping report for the refugee relocation exercise shows that over 2,000 refugees and asylum seekers returned to Dzaleka.
Recently, two police officers from the National Police Headquarters were arrested for soliciting a K20 million bribe from seven Burundians during the relocation of refugees in the country.
The police officers, Molley Makomera and Elube Malombe, have since been charged with official corruption, alongside the Burundians.
