Food aid for Caprivi returnees

The World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday said it had released 52 mt of emergency food aid to 1,000 Namibian refugees returning from Botswana. Most of the refugees have resettled in the Caprivi region in the northeast of the country. The province has been the hardest hit by drought, with about 25,000 villagers suffering the double blow of severe crop damage by wild animals. "Already 52 of the 75 mt of the food aid has been made available for immediate distribution. Most of it is maize meal but we have also included pulses, vegetable oil, soya blend and salt. This is expected to last for about three months," WFP's programme manager Abdi Rahman-Meygag, told IRIN. The returnees were among some 3,000 Namibians who fled to Botswana in 1998 fearing a government clampdown on alleged secessionists in the Caprivi. Following a tripartite agreement between the office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Namibia, and Botswana in April this year, 1,000 refugees have so far been voluntarily repatriated. A further 400 are expected to be repatriated in March 2003. But while the UNHCR has said that the returnees had settled in "nicely", the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) last week expressed concern over their living conditions, describing the situation as "dire". "We have systematically been monitoring the situation of the returnees on a weekly basis and many in fact, many of the returnees say they are glad to be back. However, with regards to the food and water supply, admittedly the resources are stretched. One must remember that these people are returning to areas where there are people already," UNHCR Resident Representative in Namibia, Hesdy Radhling, told IRIN. Radhling added that the government "remained committed to addressing the situation". Under the repatriation programme the returnees are to be provided with relief assistance, including adequate food, shelter, healthcare and education. Meanwhile, the Emergency Management Unit of the Prime Minister's Office has begun distributing food relief to 345,000 Namibians facing food shortages over the next eight months. The government has not yet requested any external assistance for the drought operation.