Botswana reaffirms open-door refugee policy

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics Tuesday, June 21st, 2022

Botswana has reaffirmed its open-door policy for refugees flocking into the southern African country mainly from the unsettled Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regions.

Ronald Shamukani, Botswana’s minister of Justice said his country would continue to show support to people who were forced into internal and external displacement due to violence, persecution and of course,war.

“Botswana continues to maintain an open-door policy in line with its international obligations, while ensuring that internal security is maintained.’’

Shamukani said Botswana was aware of the view raised by some interested parties that the southern African country “has a high rejection rate of asylum applications’’.

The minister assured Botswana’s humanitarian stakeholders that all asylum seekers are assessed by a dedicated and trained team.

He said Botswana was working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to address the push and pull factors influencing the movements of people in order to find a long-lasting solution to the plight of the affected.

UNHCR representative in the southern Africa Preepa Law, described Botswana as a “role model” in accepting refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic period when countries closed borders to curtail the sporadic spreading of the disease.

The Law said Botswana had demonstrated that people and public health could be protected at the same time, as people’s rights had their asylum cases heard and were not impeded in the process.

Dukwi Refugee Camp, the only refuge settlement in Botswana, is hosting more than 800 refugees mainly from the eastern and central parts of Africa and the growing number of asylum seekers from the same areas particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

-(Xinhua/NAN)wp_posts