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The security situation in the Maheba refugee settlement in western Zambia has returned to normal following the death of a guard in an armed robbery attempt on UNHCR's offices at
the beginning of the month.
"The chief suspect (in the shooting incident) has been apprehended and from every angle it's back to normal," a UNHCR spokesman told IRIN on Wednesday. He said media reports of an armed gang terrorising UNHCR staff at the camp "is most certainly exaggerated". Extra police have been drafted in to investigate what was "basically a case of robbery," the spokesman added.
Tension surrounding the shooting incident in the camp for Angolan
refugees on 2 September led to the temporary relocation of some staff as a security precaution to the nearby town of Solwezi. But a UNHCR presence was maintained in Maheba and all staff returned to the settlement last week, the spokesman said.
"Maheba is a community of 30,000 people. Like in any other community you can expect a criminal element," the UNHCR official added. Zambia's border region is also reportedly awash with weapons, with an AK-47 selling for as little as US $20.
Meanwhile, according to the UNHCR spokesman, there is a "regular
trickle" of Angolan refugees crossing into Zambia, most of them fleeing the threat of enforced conscription.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
