By Daniel Itai.
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News of The South) – Botswana repatriated 132 Zimbabweans from the Dukwi Refugee Camp this month, the ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, has revealed.
The repatriation exercise was conducted by Botswana, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Zimbabwe, 60 percent of the returnees are children who were born in Dukwi Camp.
“The government of Zimbabwe would like to express its appreciation to the government of the Republic of Botswana and UNHCR for facilitating the return of the Zimbabwean nationals. The repatriation process proceeded smoothly without any challenges,” said the acting spokesperson for the ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Joel Muzuwa.
Muzuwa urged Zimbabwean citizens who are still at Dukwi refugee camp in Botswana to register for voluntary repatriation and return home before the 31st of this month.
He further highlighted that Zimbabwe’s nationals who will not have registered will become illegal immigrants and will be deported to Zimbabwe under the immigration laws of the government of Botswana.
On arrival, the returnees were offered settling allowances, three months food rations, three months medical supplies to those under treatment, medical certificates to those on medical programmes, transport to their homes and issued birth certificates and national identity documents by the government and the UNHCR.
The repatriation exercise follows an outcome of an assessment that concluded that the Zimbabwean nationals no longer needed extended international protection in view of the prevailing political stability in the country.
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