In June, we witnessed as the ministry of homeland security carry out a “back to camp” exercise. The ministry, through the military and the police, detained and relocated refugees and asylum seekers with no regard for their fundamental human rights. The refugees and asylum seekers were uprooted from their businesses and homes back to the camp. Surely, you did not miss the horror of what the refugees and asylum seekers went through, as some of them documented their experiences on their social media sites with hopes of appealing to the Malawi government and Malawians.
Refugees and asylum seekers were detained in Maula prison, a maximum-security prison for five days or more before they were transported back to Dzaleka Refugee camp. Of the detainees, included children, a blatant violation of the international human rights standards that dictate that children should not be detained for immigration reasons and should never be held in adult prisons. During this clean-up operation, a platform for Investigative Journalism, reported that some individuals rooted some foreign establishments in Salima, where they went away with cash.
Several individuals including non-governmental organizations national and international, like UNHCR, a UN refugee agency ridiculed the government’s directive. However, the ministry of homeland security defended the activity by citing the “back to camp” refugee policy issued in 2021. According to the mandate, refugees and asylum seekers were ordered to voluntarily return to the Dzaleka refugee camp by the 15th of April,2023. When the said date passed, that’s when the refugees and asylum seekers were hauled out from their homes and businesses, like dangerous criminals.
Because of the camp's deplorable living conditions, the majority of its residents are always looking for means to support themselves, which is usually outside the camp, as they cannot solely depend on aid. As of May, more than 50,600 migrants and asylum seekers were reportedly living in the Dzaleka which was designed for only 12,000 people. Overcrowding, which is a serious worry, makes it impossible for the camp to provide and meet the basic needs of its residents, like of food, health, proper accommodation, and sanitation. Several dangerous life-threatening incidents happen in the camp as a result of this. For instance, the high Cholera cases in January and a recent occurrence where 25 refugees suffocated in the camp.
The government intends to alleviate the problem of overpopulation by relocating the camp from Dowa District to Chitipa. However, as the government finalizes the relocation, the current site still requires attention in order to resolve existing problems at the camp which will improve the living conditions of refugees and asylum seekers.
Next time the government intends to relocate refugees or is compelled to carry out a similar exercise, it must avoid the mistakes it made. I hope everyone involved will keep in mind that refugees and asylum seekers have rights just like everyone else, including the right to life and other rights that make life worthwhile, such as the right to food, education, work, health, and more.
A country's attitude toward refugees is exposed in cases like this, where human rights principles are not deliberately upheld.
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