UN refugee agency relocates Mozambican asylum seekers in Malawi

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Malawi Friday started relocating 10,000 Mozambican asylum seekers who fled to Malawi's border districts following internal conflicts in Mozambique.

The asylum seekers, most of whom are at a temporary settlement called Kapise in Mwanza, are to be relocated to Luwani Camp in Mwanza where Malawi also hosted thousands of Mozambican asylum seekers during the 1977-1992 civil war before the camp was finally closed in 2007.

A statement released by UNHCR's dated April 15, 2016, says the relocation operation began Friday morning with a group of 81 asylum seekers from Nsanje to Luwani, covering a distance of 320km.

The statement says on arrival, the asylum seekers, most of them women and children, would stay at a transit centre for up to two days until they are provided with a plot of land, food, shelter materials and household items.

The relocation comes after the government of Malawi authorized UNHCR to relocate the Mozambicans to the former camp which has been reopened for the purpose.

Luwani Camp has more than 160 hectares of land and, according to UNHCR, asylum-seekers will have better facilities and services there, including health, education, water, protection and they will be involved in self-reliance activities like agriculture.

Since last December, Malawi has seen an increase in new arrivals from Mozambique, peaking at more than 250 people per day in early March. Endit