By Aliko Munde

Chitipa, August 2, Mana: Chitipa Development Trust (CDT) has asked the government to develop an exit strategy of managing refugee camps in the country by among others, integrating refugees with locals.

Chairperson for CDT, Austin Musyani made the remarks on Tuesday at a Press briefing at Chitipa Boma where he  asked government to stop its proposal to relocate refugee camp from Dzaleka in Dowa to Kayilizi in the area of Senior Chief Mwenewenya in the district.

He said that the government needs to listen to concerns from people of Chitipa District and not just a few individuals.

"There is a need for the government to have an exit strategy in the management of refugee camps in the country. A person who has been in a refugee camp for 30 years needs to be integratedand naturalized into the community.

It's inhumane to have someone born in the refugee camp and 30 years still staying in the refugee camp as a refugee," Musyani said.

The Chairperson suggested that government should decommission refugee camps and integrate the refugees with communities before repatriating any foreigner coming in the country illegally.

He said that CDT believes in contact and dialogue hence the call to government to discuss the issue before it goes further with its plan to take the refugee camp to Kayilizi.

When contacted, the Ministry of Homeland Security, Patrick Botha said that there are durable solutions when it comes to refugees’ management, citing repatriation, integration and resettlement.

"But the Refugee Act of 1989 stipulates that refugees be kept in a camp. So, until this Act is reviewed, it remains a guide in how we should manage refugees in the country. Processes for review are still underway.

That leaves us with voluntary repatriation as a durable solution. But even with voluntary repatriation, you cannot force a refugee to return to their home country. It has to be the refugee actually deciding to return and not to force them," he explained.