Lilongwe, Malawi (AHN) - Nine trucks with 660 refugees and asylum seekers, 16 trucks of luggage, an ambulance, two pickup trucks and two United Nations vehicles arrived just before dark Monday in Dzaleka, the last of Malawi's refugee camps.
"As of today, Luwani Refugee Camp is officially closed," said Kelvin Sentala of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) who was in charge of the convoy.
Dzaleka, near the capital Lilongwe, now holds 3,000 refugees fleeing civil war in Rwanda. UNHCR warns there is no land available for agriculture at Dzaleka - unlike in Luwani where an irrigation project is underway.
The newcomers will live in tents while they build new homes with UNHCR materials.
UNHCR provided food on the night of arrival, but the refugees will have to seek their own food from then on. The convoy included 120 goats, 45 pigs and 160 chickens.
Malawi bans local integration but few of the refugees want to go home. In 2006, 500 refugees were resettled with UNHCR assistance to Australia, Canada, Norway and Sweden. So far this year, 44 people have been resettled in Australia.
Malawi is home to over 5,000 Rwandan refugees who are on the verge of being repatriated back home following the signing of a tripartite agreement between the governments of Malawi, Rwanda and the UNHCR, Rwanda News Agency reports.
Last year, Tanzania expelled up to 30,000 Rwandan refugees. Uganda denies it forcibly expelled about 3,200 Rwandans, saying more than 2,000 who remain will be moved into Rwanda.
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
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