MALAWI - REFUGEE CAMP CONSOLIDATION FAILS TO STOP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000803

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR PRM - MARY LANGE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PGOV MI
SUBJECT: MALAWI - REFUGEE CAMP CONSOLIDATION FAILS TO STOP
INFLUX, BUT UNITES DISCONTENT



1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The government of Malawi's (GOM) closure of
the Luwani refugee camp and Karonga transit shelter has
failed to stop the flow of Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Somali
men through the country. Over 400 of these refugees arrived
in a single day in October. Asylum seekers from the Horn of
Africa continue to use the Dzaleka refugee camp as a rest
stop before disappearing, paying up to USD 200 per person to
be transported to Mozambique and beyond. At the same time,
land and shelter problems have delayed the relocation of the
remaining 760 refugees from the Luwani camp and the increased
population in Dzaleka is both stressing camp resources and
raising concern among locals who increasingly view refugees
as economic competitors. As the GOM continues to seek a way
to stop what it views as illegal migration through its
territory, delays in the processing and settlement of
legitimate refugees, an increased push to repatriate existing
refugees, and new refugee legislation are likely.

Security Concerns Cause Consolidation of the Refugee Camps
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2. (SBU) In May 2007, the government of Malawi announced the
closure of the Luwani refugee camp in the southern part of
the country, as well as the Karonga Transit Shelter near the
northern border with Tanzania. At the time, the GOM stated
that security risks were the primary reason for the closure
and cited instances of large groups of Ethiopians, Eritreans,
and Somalis intercepted crossing into Mozambique and Zambia.
By closing the shelter and the camp, the GOM hoped to stem
the flow of migration from the Horn of Africa through Malawi.
The asylum seekers from the Horn are almost exclusively
male, aged between 18 and 35, and claim they are fleeing
forced conscription. The GOM feels the men are usually
economic migrants who took advantage of the shelter and the
camps to receive free supplies, food, and transportation from
the northern border of Malawi to a point close to Mozambique,
where they can continue on to South Africa.

Still Arriving From the Horn
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3. (SBU) The closure of the Karonga Transit Shelter has
proven problematic. Although now officially closed, it is
still used by immigration officials to allow asylum seekers
shelter for a day or two until they can be transported to the
Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa, just outside of Lilongwe.
Recent press reports indicated that a fight had broken out at
the shelter between groups of Somalis and Ethiopians over
water, underscoring that previous security problems at the
shelter still exist. Once arriving in Dzaleka, asylum
seekers are put in a large, sheet-metal building while their
refugee applications are reviewed. Recently, few from the
Horn of Africa have stayed to hear the answer. The
Department of Poverty and Disaster Management Affairs
(DPDMA),which oversees refugee issues, stated that since
June 2007, 1,591 people from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia
had filed a claim of asylum and been sent to the Dzaleka
refugee camp, but only 478 remained in the camp as of October

10. Of the 478, 413 had arrived in the previous week. Less
than three percent of refugees from Ethiopia and Somalia are
woman and children, compared to over 75% of refugees from
other countries.


4. (SBU) According to camp officials and United Nations High
Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) staff, the Ethiopians and
Somalis use a well-established network of transporters to get
through Malawi. Fees range from USD 120-200 to get from
Dzaleka to the Mozambican border. Most leave in the middle
of the night, often hitching rides in small groups in the
cabs or backs of fuel and supply trucks that come near the
camp. Others walk into the local villages where they are met
by the transporters. All take the camp-provided bedding and
provisions with them, forcing camp administrators to issue
only minimal supplies until refugee applications are
approved. In response to the continued migration, the GOM is
moving supervision of refugee issues from the Office of the
President and Cabinet to the Ministry of Home Affairs and
Internal Security where immigration, police, and prisons are
housed.

Problems Delay Relocation

LILONGWE 00000803 002 OF 002


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5. (U) The relocation of the over 3000 Luwani camp refugees
to Dzaleka was supposed to be completed by the end of August.
A disagreement with locals over land and a shortage of
building materials for new shelters have delayed the move
completion until the end of November. On October 10, Emboff
visited the Dzaleka refugee camp to view the progress of the
relocation. According to DPDMA, 760 refugees still remained
in Luwani awaiting relocation. Among those who had been
relocated to Dzaleka, many still lacked roofs for their
shelters. UNHCR staff commented that roofing materials would
be delivered the following week, but many refugees expressed
concern to Emboff about not having a roof when the rainy
season starts in November. The Dzaleka camp covers 201
hectares and UNHCR estimates it can hold a maximum of 9300
people. Once all refugees are relocated it will have a
population approaching 8800 people and continues to get a
steady stream of new refugees from the Congo.

Anti-refugee Sentiment Building
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6. (U) Dzaleka was opened in 1994 at the location of a
former prison. It has land for cultivation, housing, a
school, and a medical clinic. In most regards, the
conditions of the established part of the camp meet or exceed
those of the local villages surrounding the camp. The
majority of medical clinic patients are local Malawians and
not refugees. Locals believe the clinic has a more reliable
stock of medication. The school has over 1,700 students, but
with 16 refugee teachers augmenting a local staff of 20
teachers, the school's student-to-teacher ratio is favorable
compared to those in neighboring village schools. Over 240
Malawian students have received special permission to attend
the Dzaleka camp school instead of local schools due to the
perception that it is better and has more resources.


7. (SBU) In addition to using camp schools and medical
facilities, locals continue to try to encroach on camp
property. Local authorities have intervened and forced
Malawians to stop cultivating on refugee camp land as more
refugees are relocated to Dzaleka. Locals believe it is
unfair that refugees are able to cultivate cash crops since
they are given food rations each day, while they must plant
staples such as maize. While UNHCR continues to encourage
the GOM to ease employment and legal restrictions on
refugees, the public is asking for more protection from
refugee economic competition. Although only 1,389 official
refugees live outside the camp in urban areas, Malawians
continue to complain that long-time refugees who have settled
in the cities are taking jobs and putting locals out of
business. Police have responded with round-ups that take
refugees who live illegally in cities back to the camp.


8. (SBU) Comment: The Luwani camp closure has failed as a
method to stop migration from the Horn of Africa through
Malawi. The move of refugees to the same ministry as police
and immigration is another attempt to try and combat the flow
of Somalis and Ethiopians. As stopping what the GOM views as
illegal immigration rises in importance, policy shifts may
lead to delays in the processing and settlement of legitimate
refugees. The lack of a second camp is already stressing the
Dzaleka's land and resources, and the camp is unlikely to be
able to bear a steady stream of new refugees. There have
been only 14 voluntary repatriations in 2007 and the GOM is
anxious to restart tripartite talks with the government of
Rwanda to discuss the repatriation of over 4000 refugees
(septel). With stable neighbors on all borders and new
refugees coming from farther away, the GOM will likely take a
hard look at its existing refugee laws, as well as those of
its neighbors, to see if Malawi can make itself a less
appealing refugee destination.
EASTHAM