Concern over refugee safety

Family members have raised concern over the security of refugees hoping to return to the Caprivi, in Namibia, following alleged harassment by security forces.

Five representatives of Namibian refugees in Dukwe, Botswana, visited their homes in Namibia on 24 June to familiarise themselves with conditions in the areas they fled. The Caprivi has been the focal point for secessionist activities, which included armed conflict with government forces in 1999.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Namibia said: "The principle of go-and-see is as old as UNHCR itself and aims at refugees making an on-the-spot assessment of the security situation, interacting with their relatives, seeing the state of their properties. The visits also ensure that there are adequate facilities in their areas of return - such as education, health, water supply and any other facilities necessary for a return in safety and dignity."

However, in some areas in eastern Caprivi, "while community leaders and family members encouraged the refugees to return home, they also expressed reservations about their safety. Family members cited on-going interference by security forces", the UNHCR statement said.

The go-and-see exercise was conducted in a manner that neither governments of asylum or origin, nor the UNHCR, should influence the refugees' decision, the agency said.

Actual repatriation has been tentatively planned for mid-August this year. "So far, we have been informed by UNHCR Botswana that up to 700 Namibian refugees have expressed [their] willingness to voluntarily return to Namibia," the organisation said.

The UNHCR was awaiting the response of the refugee community to the