Refugees in Namibia could be left in cold as UNHCR stops operation

More than 4,000 refugees in Namibia could be left without any help as the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is planning to close down operations in Namibia later this year and to relocate in South Africa.

Government will take over the administration and other operations pertaining to refugees when the UNHCR relocates.

Namibia's Commissioner for Refugees Nkrumah Mushelenga said Friday the Namibian government does not have resources to look after the refugees in the country. Mushelenga said the UNHCR should continue funding the government so that the refugees can be catered for.

"If they close, they should not stop the budget allocation to Namibia to ensure that the funds continue to cater for the protection services the Namibian government will deal with in the absence of the local UNHCR offices," he said.

Mushelenga also said Namibia has its own obligations and that its limited national budget is used for Namibians.

"If the UNHCR moves out, the entire financial burden will be on the government and we are not ready to inherit that obligations, but are prepared to provide protection services to refugees," he said.

There are also fears that Namibians working for the UNHCR would be thrown out onto the streets when the relocation is done.

Although UNHCR Country Representative, Lawrence Oba Mgbangson would not say whether they would still fund operations, he promised that workers would not be left jobless.

"We are not going to leave the workers in the cold. Some will be sent to South Africa for training and once they are done there, they might be absorbed that side," he said. Endi